Rebirth: Journey of Self Discovery
by karacearl
Summary: An unremarkable death should not have marked the end of a proud and promising swordswoman. Much less should she succumb to defeat from a fall down the stairs. When life decided to give her a second chance would a displaced swordswoman ever be able to fight her way to the top? To uphold a promise that she has yet to remember?
1. Prologue

Prologue

Burning dreams, oaths, and the unpredictable misfortune which marked the end of her life. Kuina would've never guessed that her death was not marked by broken swords and cuts marring her body from a lost match, but rather from a slip – fall from a staircase.

Denial. At first, she refused to believe that her life has passed before it had even begun before she even set foot on the journey towards being the strongest swordsman – a dream she knew was naïve, yet still longed to march on.

Even when she stared, dully, as the body of a youthful girl – _her body_ – descended into a place of fruitless eternal rest, a place bounded by strict edges and wooden boards, she could not fully grasp what the notion of death really was.

She knew she was gone, yet she wasn't. Floating, or perhaps simply existing, knowing, as others went about their own lives, as time ticked on, yet she simply stayed, or wondered without a form nor a purpose.

This lasted for weeks, perhaps months, until a certain green-haired boy, weak in her eyes, a boy of pride and a bright future, kneeled in front of her father – the one who ended her dreams, cut off her hopes, and begged for the sword which would have been passed onto her if not for the unforeseeable misfortune.

For the first time since she accepted her death, Kuina felt something stir from within. Life was a fragile thing. She should have never even thought about denying herself, depriving herself of a meaningful life – centred around her hopes and ambitions.

A shimmer of regret, refusal to resign to this end. That was the last emotion she felt as she let the image of Wado Ichimonji being passed onto Zoro burn into her mind forever.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I'll be skipping the pleasantries and just give you all a rough idea of how this fic will go~

I know Kuina's death in canon was crucial to Zoro's development when he was a kid but at the same time, her ending just didn't sit well with me… So I thought that maybe Kuina could be reincarnated after she died (like a soul switch thing).

For some people, it might make more sense for Kuina to be reincarnated as Tashigi (the strikingly similar appearance and all). But for me, Tashigi wasn't exactly what I envisioned Kuina would turn out to be – like Tashigi was too feminine. And since Kuina believed that she couldn't be the greatest swordsman due to her gender when she was a kid – I thought that maybe she'd reject her female identity if she did decide to set out for her goal.

Anyways, here's my take on how her story will play out under a new light~


	2. Rebirth: A Bored Captain

Paradise was more or less the same as she remembered. More chaotic perhaps, or has the catastrophic rise of piracy driven by Roger's final words settled a little?

Deciding that perhaps it was better to leave the questions unanswered, Karl stared into the glistening blues with a dazed look. A promotion? She scoffed silently. She felt like her goals, dreams, ambitions were torn out of her grasp and restrained if anything else.

The justice emblem sewn onto the back of her cape swayed left and right under the salty sea breeze, as Karl pondered over the likelihood of meeting a somewhat challenging dual in the next island. She missed the days under the wings of Aokiji, even though it might've been made of ice – it gave her what she needed. She improved, tuned her skills, through tireless battles left and right, faster than she could have ever hoped for, and now, the newly assigned cape, title, ship, and subordinates – none of which she needed, was her current predicament.

"Being a captain is such a drag." A bemused chuckle greeted her near the sails, voicing out thoughts she'd never say out in public.

"Lex." Karl grunted and rolled her eyes. The worst thing about her current situation, apart from the endless restraints and mind-numbing boredom, was the presence of the only person she utterly could not stand breathing in the same vicinity as. Yet was also the one she trusted more than anyone else to guard her back in battles.

"Still can't believe that you turned down all those female marines who were all but fighting for a position to be on your crew. No idea what they see in a stone-hearted scrawny little thing like you. If I didn't know better I'd say you swing the other way."

"Talk for yourself. B'sides I never asked for a crew." Shooting him a glare, Karl retorted back.

"Common, liven up a lil. You're acting as if you miss that sorry excuse of an admiral. That ice monkey." Oh little did he know, she really did miss his presence. At least it guaranteed her some worthy opponents.

"This sea is too calm for my calling." Karl replied, looking away when Lex made a face at her phrasing.

"Calm? This may be Paradise, but it's still part of the Grand-line. Seriously, the day when you decide to quit living life on the edge would be the day we take a smoke together and pick up some girls." He chided half-seriously while Karl rolled her eyes and refused to dignify him with a response.

She walked away before he could grace her with more nonsense, and settled down on the chair of her newly furnished captain chambers. Looking past the bounty posters pinned onto the corkboard, she took in the deceiving image reflected on the spotless mirror.

Silky strands of scarlet hair, shorter than any other females she came across, polished and slicked to the side. A strand rests above her left cheekbone, covering one of her eyes. Hooded eyes of steel and her sharp, sculpted jawlines gave off a threatening vibe, intimidating weak-minded enemies before the battle even began. This was juxtaposed with her ivory skin and peach red lips – definitive feminine traits, yet when taken in together with the rest of her features, are overlooked and adds a special charm about her male identity.

Lex used to pester her about why ladies seemed to swoon over her but she would just reply that it's her icy aura and piercing gaze. Then he would jest about it, saying that if Aokiji wanted any chance with the girls he'd have to take a page out of her book. Though sometimes the ladies' favouritism towards her posed a problem, as sour men and disobedient crews were not fun to be around. Besides, it did her no good since like Lex said, she didn't swing the other way, despite himself not knowing how correct he was.

Chest bound; a habit, posture confident and voice low – a feature she established herself, she had chosen to live her life as a man to fulfil her ambitions or perhaps avoid the disapproving glances which might've arisen along the way if she were to be female.

Since birth, or what she recollected afterwards, she had been dressed as a boy to become the sole heir to a prestigious noble clan. Funny thing was that she did not mind being thought of as a man in fact she took a liking to it, it felt natural and made her fulfilled.

Now, she no longer had to keep the façade of a man to please her parents, nor worry about murmurs and obnoxious insults towards her dream to become the finest swordsman as a female, yet she still kept dressing as a man. Perhaps she herself refused to believe that a woman could fulfil her ambitions.

There were many odd peculiarities surrounding Karl. One for a fact was that she had no recollections of her childhood before age 5. Perhaps it might've been normal for any other kid her age, but she thought otherwise. She could remember details after age 5 vividly, and the first memory she had as Karl was the feeling of despair and a new flare of determination combined with a sense of loss.

She was told by her parents; or more precisely her maternal parents who only saw her as a piece to add to their legacy, that she had hit her head too hard one day and thus could not remember anything – amnesiac. As she aged and experienced the world more, there were three things that especially stood out to her. Once every now and then, she would wake up with cold sweat clinging onto her sleep-ware to the burning image of a white sword being passed onto a pair of small yet calloused hands. When she had asked her parents, discretely, about whether she had touched swords before, all they did was give her a look which immediately robbed her of any further questions. The sword was one of the unexplainable aspects surrounding Karl.

The other two came respectively hand in hand after the arrival of a certain swordsman who had stayed for a year at a nearby inn but left her with newfound or perhaps ingrained ambitions and thirst for a lifetime. Refined skills in the art of the sword and a desire to become the best swordsman, both which seemed to have been part of her long before the encounter. Perhaps they were simply sealed away before his arrival, but since then they dictated her life up till now.

Karl tore her eyes away from her reflection and unbuttoned the top of her dress shirt. It's been 5 years since she met that man who had awoken her hidden potential, 4 since she left behind her cushioned life as heir-apparent, 3 since she joined the Marines, and a week since she left the tutelage of Aokiji – summoned to become a Captain. At age 17, she really had grown and experienced more than she would've ever imagined. Though she seemed to have reached her limit and hadn't grown at all in the area she desired the most for quite some time. Her swordsmanship.

A knock on the wooden door broke her out of her own dilemma and for once she was glad for see her long-time comrade Lex's face. The two of them had entered the marines together, the same age, and were both assigned to work under Aokiji. They had been rivals, comrades and everything in between whilst sailing the roughest seas. When she was promoted to become a Captain, he had voluntarily signed up to transfer to her team, even though he could've also received a similar promotion sometime in the near future if he were to stay onboard Aokiji's ship. Despite her demeanour and words, Lex was one of the few individuals in this world she could confide in completely and it was time for her to make a decision.

"Lex, I have made a decision." Karl informed her second in command and gestured for him to keep the door closed. With a raised brow, Lex strolled towards her before plopping himself on the sofa.

"What could it possibly be~" He asked with a bemused look while grabbing a few cherries off the table and chewed heartily. He really needed to work on his attitude, Karl thought darkly and narrowed her eyes. Couldn't he tell she was being serious right now. Catching the glint in her eyes, Lex quickly swallowed the last of her fruits and raised his hands in a mock surrender pose.

"So, what was it that you wanted to say?" He asked as Karl shot him one last glare before replying,

"I'm not going to sit around and waste any more time. I'll be taking direct action. I need to polish my final sword style" Her voice was steady but Lex knew that it was an upfront to hide something else.

"And how are you planning to do that? You said it was impossible unless it's a life or death battle." His voice has now lost its usual jest and the atmosphere became thick with tension.

"And that is exactly what I need your help with." Karl sighed and leaned back. Truth be told, she hated having to ask him this, it dealt a lot of damage to her pride as their relationship was so complicated.

"I'm listening." Lex smirked a little and waited for her to expand on her plan.

"I know this may sound crazy. It really is. But I'm running out of options. For all I know that person is out there fine-tuning his skills while I'm stuck here babysitting a bunch of stick-swinging amateurs. How will I ever catch up to him… So, I'm planning on going to him and requesting a dual." She revealed and avoided the accusing look in his eyes.

"I thought you said a life or death battle. Not a suicide mission." He deadpanned, his voice and features giving away nothing.

"I know but just hear me out okay." Karl said slowly and tried to read Lex's expression. Her efforts were of no prevail as he looked at her blankly as if daring her to go on. So, on she went,

"I need you to cover for me for the time I'm away. Your disguise as me is unparalleled. I know where he is, I received a letter from him this morning. He's in paradise for once. But not for long. In order to perfect my style I would need a worthy opponent. So why not the best?" She waited patiently after explaining her plans for Lex to digest the information.

Lex sighed, it was no use arguing with Karl, now that he's made up his mind and was set to do something.

"And who would take cover for me?" Lex mumbled out but he already know further resistance to Karl's idea would be futile.

"I'll just pretend, or more precisely you'll pretend, I sent you away to deal with some pirates who were causing trouble nearby." Karl replied.

"How long would this take?" Lex grumbled and brushed his hand through his thick locks of emerald hair, he already knew any more resistance was pointless.

"A few weeks. One month at most." She replied and sent him a grateful smile.

"Consider your debt to me removed." Karl added and Lex rolled his eyes,

"For the last time, I was never in your debt." He shot back with feigned annoyance but the small smile which tugged on the corner of his lips said otherwise. There was no need for words of thanks to be uttered between the two, as words were too light to mean anything to either of them.


	3. Rebirth: A Travelling Girl

Swinging her sword sharply to the side to rid of the blood which clung to its blade, before sliding them back into its sheath, Karl tugged the hood further down to cover her face before leaving the scene.

It was a bad decision after all. She decided to revert back to female clothing on the way to meet _him_ to reduce chances of being recognised as the newly appointed captain, but how could she forget – women were easily targeted in this sea and also everywhere else.

This was the fifth time, fifth, she was approached by street thugs after setting foot on the island of Ripple-wine. The thought of changing back to male attires crossed her mind once again but she resisted the temptation and carried on with her initial plans. Sometimes her stubbornness and refusal to accept her mistakes stood out as a deadly flaw even to herself.

Sighing a little at her misjudgement, Karl shook her head and strolled around the busy streets of the town famed for its wine and alcohol. That reminded her, didn't he also love drinking wine? Second to his love for his sword she believed. She chuckled as she was reminded of just how their first encounter went. Who would've known what lengths a swordsman was willing to go to when he was out of wine? The answer was letting a _boy_ half his size get away with handling his sword.

A shrill of screams and cries brought her back from her introspection. Her workaholism really would be the death of her someday, Karl grumbled underneath her breath and strode towards the source of the panic.

If it was some ill-intended pirate siege or the like she would make sure to drill into them that they did not mess around while she was on the island. Always the pirates. And to think that she thought piracy had quelled a little just a few days ago...

As she neared, the streets became increasingly more isolated as remainders of fallen articles of clothing and handbags spoke out the terror of the fleeing people who were most likely running for their lives. Upon reaching the chaos, Karl grimaced slightly with bitter thoughts. Guns, blades, blood, splattered around the vicinity of the local pub. The metal frames on the door which undoubtedly had been intact earlier were now torn apart and dug into the concrete ground. How did they manage to do that was beyond her.

This was a perfect opportunity for her to vent out her frustrations and ease her pacing mind. The marines which were stationed on the island were summoned to the headquarters a few weeks back and thus the crime rates had been increasing. This also meant that she could do whatever she wanted without being caught red-handed by her fellow colleagues. A rare grin stretched across her features and a mysterious glint flashed across her eyes. She decided to let the nerves; which had been eating her away for the past few days in thinking about the nearing confrontation; transform into bloodlust and let loose for a moment.

Standing in the centre of the stack of broken chairs and unconscious bodies was a man with crimson hair holding onto a **thing**; a moving arm of steel; with a grin akin to a sadistic Cheshire cat; with nails and lips painted to the same shade of charcoal black. Karl blinked a few times before shrugging and quickly accepting the scenario which appeared to have stepped out of a gore novel. If she wasn't mistaken the venomous youth standing in front of her was Eustass Captain Kid, a pirate who had recently stepped into Grandline from the West Blue.

"Eustass Captain Kid, you are under…" Goddamnit, the lack of rest from the ongoing unease has really messed her up. She slipped up and talked as if she was still in her role as a marine captain. While she berated herself, the red-haired captain had noticed her presence and turned around.

"...Underestimating the power of the town's residents." Karl corrected her sentence and drew her sword calmly as if she totally hadn't almost blown her own cover.

"Am I now? What's a lousy girl like you going to do hn?" Her breath hitched at the insult towards her gender. It's been such a long time since she fought someone who saw her as inferior because she was a girl. Eustass' grin stretched even further as she pointed her blade in his direction and challenged stoically with clear disdain in her voice,

"I'll do enough for you to think twice before spouting rubbish in my vicinity." Her dry words clung in the muggy air and with a jolt in her steps she swiftly attacked with precision, aiming for his legs, his sides and finally his neck.

Eustass nullified each attack with the metallic arm twice her size and she was impressed at his strength. Although she was not most well known for her physical strength, her blows were heavy enough so that most would be struggling to lift their arms again after taking three consecutive hits straight on. Yet there he was standing with ease, still full of himself and grinning madly. Though it would seem that he was showing a little more acknowledgement for her seeing that he changed his pose to be more defensive and alert. A smart move she thought. Though the fact remains that she had to prove her capabilities just because she was female. The thought left a bitter after-taste in her mouth.

"A swordswomen hm? Not bad… Except for the fact you are facing against your worst nightmare." Eustass leered and brought out his metallic arm infused with countless weaponry. Karl felt an invisible force tug at her sword and gripped onto its hilt tighter. A devil fruit user? A power related to magnetic forces? In the back of her mind she berated herself for not paying closer attention to the intel gathered on her desk surrounding the pirates running loose in the first half of the Grandline. _He_ always did say knowledge was the only thing one could depend on apart from pure skill.

Rethinking her strategies now, she decided that close-range attacks would be ill-favoured, instead she chose to keep her distance and attack using air forces generated by her blade. She had only recently discovered this technique during one of the last battles she fought under Aokiji's wing and it became the decisive factor in generating her new fighting style. She was leaning towards a midrange fighter as opposed to most swordsmen who were close-rangers.

Seeing the flash of surprise on Eustass' face was satisfying to say in the least but she was soon put on her toes again as surprise morphed into rage as attacks fired at her left and right with a deafening roar of 'REPEL!'.

The rapid fires from clustered guns, although the aim was poor, was quite a handful. Karl was reminded again of the reason why fighting an opponent armed with a gun was unfavourable for her as a swordswoman. And fighting against someone who was literally armed with an armada of weaponry was probably not the smartest move, at least not when she's deprived of Lex's support and skills. How she missed his presence. Though only in times of battle.

Just as she narrowly avoided more charging bullets, one of which tore her left arm, staining her sleeves with her own blood, she decided that playtime was over and she was going to end the battle. Unlike her fellow companions in the art of the sword who names their attacks and yells them in the midst of the battle, Karl was one of those unfortunate ones who although was blessed with commendable skills she had yet to complete her style and her attacks held no singular pattern or form. Hence she'd rather refrain from yelling out names of attacks when she had just formed them in the split of the second and was unlikely to use the same technique in the same way ever again.

So, wordlessly she steadied the sword in her hands and pointed its blade towards the up and rising pirate before unleashing several short bursts of energy into the air using her blade. The force of her successive swings was enough to cut through the finest tempered steel but with Eustass' case, it only managed to severe half of his armed hand. However, the force of the attack managed to throw him off balance as he blundered across the room and crashed into the wooden wall.

Immediately on her next move again, Karl charged forth, switching back to a close-range attack, the final blow needed if she executed it right. Using the combined force of her momentum and strength she summoned onto her arms, she aimed to impale the captain who was still recovering from her earlier attack.

Despite being in his roughened up state, Eustass still had enough drive in him to block her final blow and using his devil fruit powers chained her sword on his messed up metallic stretch. However, that only made her following course of actions even easier for her as Karl dug out a pair of sea-stone handcuffs which had been resting in one of her blouse pockets and strapped them onto the beaten up redhead. Almost immediately, the pile of weaponry and debris held up in his hands crashed onto the floor and Karl retracted her sword before it made way for the ground.

"You're a marine." He breathed out with a snarl, it was a statement, he was certain.

"That is correct." The adrenaline which was still pumping through her veins clouded her rationality and of all thing she decided to do, she chose to engage him in his little interrogation. Oh the irony, a pirate interrogating a newly promoted marine captain. The adrenaline really destroyed her self control, which would've also explained why she chose to disclose some rather confidential information afterwards.

"I'm currently in no position to arrest you as a naval officer, but killing you and leaving your body here would be a different matter." She scrutinised his expression as she revealed her plans to her prisoner expecting fear or some sort of violent reaction.

What she was met with was disturbing to say the least. Eustass Kid's previous fiery and dark expression morphed into manic laughter as he edged closer and whispered in her ear,

"Dying here in such a fashion? What a joke. I was born for great things. I _will_ be the one to find one piece and claim Roger's title of pirate king. I _will not_ die here in such a fashion."

The purity of the determination and strength of his words took Karl by surprise and any comment that she planned to make died in her throat. Vaguely in the back of her mind, she could hear the same words being uttered in an entirely different context. However, as soon as she caught herself thinking about those words, they escaped her, and she was once again left with a sense of emptiness.

What happened afterwards was more of a whim than charity or compassion. She left the ambitious captain in situ – drilled into the wall with the sea-stone handcuffs on one of his wrists. The streets around the pub were abandoned and no doubt so was everywhere else in proximity to the scene. He posed no threat, well at least not until his crew found him and freed him of his sole enemy – sea stone.

"The world really does need more redheads." Those were her parting words.

She had not overly butchered her duties as a marine, or so she told herself. As for Eustass Kid, who was still in a daze due to her sudden change of demeanour burned the sight of her retreating figure into his mind with the promise that the next time they meet, which he was certain they will, one of them would be on the ground unbreathing as the other part, and he was sure that he would be the one to breathe until the end.


	4. Rebirth: A New Path

Following the tug of the small piece of paper which moved ever so slightly in the palm of her hands, Karl slipped through the crowds and calmed her rapidly speeding heart. She was certain. He was here.

She had spotted the iconic coffin styled boat docked in one of the harbours and the murmurs of passersby frowning over the presence of one of the Shichibukai furthered confirmed her theory. Hawkeye Mihawk was here on this island.

Was she ready for this confrontation just yet? Nerves and adrenaline spiralled out of control as she merged together with the crowd - an attempt to stay off the radars of the swordsman until she had adeptly made her way into his space.

A glance down towards the Vivre card halted her steps. It was moving in the opposite direction as to before, tugging towards her. Spinning around, she jumped to the side and watched as Mihawk stopped in front of her, basked in the light of the sky, and an amused look on his face. Or as amused as a swordsman with a poker face could master.

"You should've known better than to try and hide in a crowd of ordinary people." Mihawk taunted her, pointing out her first mistake before the duel had even begun.

"It was worth a try." Karl replied seemingly relaxed and nonchalant when inside she was berating herself for her lack of foresight and already drafting up new ways of training as a self-punishment.

"I'm assuming that you have no official duty on this island… Seeing your change of get-up." He stated, eying her outfit with a raised brow. Mihawk was one of the few, fewer than the number of fingers on her hand, that knew of her female identity.

"Can't say that I'm relieved to see that you've accepted your femininity though." Yes of course, how could she forget. Mihawk was the one who drilled it into her that women were born to be physically inferior to men in terms of strength. Though he was not the reason she began dressing as a man, nor the reason she continued to do so. Even if it was she refused to admit it.

"If that is your means of asking me if I've given up on dethroning you from your seat you are mistaken." A look of indifference from Mihawk fuelled her battle instincts as she wanted nothing more than to draw her sword and maim it off his face.

"In fact, it's quite the exact opposite. I came here asking for a duel. Official or unofficial is dependent on you." This seemed to have caught his attention as he began to assess her more closely as an opponent.

"Do you think you can defeat me as you are right now." He obviously wasn't taking her words seriously, as his golden iris pierced her line of defence and taunting her spirit as a swordsman.

"I'm not expecting myself to suddenly claim your title off the beat… Right now. I came here for a duel as a means to finalise my sword style. It's kind of hard to do so when you are unable to find an opponent that can last more than a single swing of your sword." Karl pushed the memory of a certain redhead metal-wielder out of her mind as he didn't count. Or at least Mihawk didn't need to know.

"It seems that you've gotten over-confident in the years working with the marines." His voice ever so calm and his words ever so criticising.

"Very well, come. I've been summoned by the government to the weaker seas and there hasn't been anyone that was quite worth fighting. Guess duelling with you will have to do for now." Sighing inwardly in relief she followed him to the more isolated parts of the town. She was glad Mihawk was feeling rather charitable right now, she wasn't sure what she'll do if he turned her away.

It's been years since their last duel, and that was hardly worth mentioning as it only lasted a couple of minutes before her colleagues interfered, saying that it was unacceptable for a marine and a Shichibukai to be fighting each other openly in public. Though she doubted that she would've lasted much longer anyways without the interference. Besides, she kind of knew that Mihawk wasn't serious at the time when he was fighting her. He never was.

The hardness of the concrete path was replaced with a soft hush with each step she took. Mihawk had led the two of them to a seemingly unpopulated grassland. Flat grassland. Perfect for a duel.

"I hope you'll be more of a challenge this time. You are becoming less and less like the youth I first met. She showed far more potential than you have shown me these past few years."

That ignited her to deal the first strike, to be on the attacking side. Her lack of progress was as obvious to her as it frustrated her. He was right. Karl felt like she had been exposed to swords for a lifetime when she first picked up one. Even Mihawk had remarked that she was a natural, born to be a sword-master. Yet her mastery in the way of the sword seemed to have frozen in time in the following years after that. But at last when she was taken under the tutelage of Aokiji, her skills managed to improve tremendously once more.

Just when she thought she had her style of fighting down, her growth ceased again, leaving her frustrated beyond words and hence her current predicament – standing in front of Mihawk while holding onto an unnamed katana. She wasn't one to be naming her weapons, the same logic as her refusal to yell out attack names when she fought, none of them endured. She knew them by their feats and strengths.

The chain of thoughts all occurred simultaneously in a split second before she clashed swords with Mihawk and from then on all she could concentrate on was her opponent at hand.

His way with the sword was as graceful and mesmerising as it is lethal and deadly. Karl met every strike of Mihawk's Yoru with her own katana, clashing against the most powerful blade and feeling the burning strain that it placed onto her muscles.

Every fibre in her body screamed at her to stop, told her that this was not a fight she could win, yet this needs to be done. She had to do this in order to improve and finally form her style. And to fulfil that she was willing to push her body over the edge again and again if it meant that she could prolong fight just a bit longer to find out exactly what was wrong with the way she was fighting right now.

It wasn't the strength, no – she had exposed herself to merciless training in order to battle that inherent weakness being born as a girl. Her strength was at its peak, perhaps even beyond where the peak had been initially. It's not the skills she's lacking either. Contrary to popular beliefs that the admirals all solely relied on their devil fruit powers, Aokiji had been a skilled sword-master before he consumed a devil fruit which granted him more power than he could master with a steel sword. She had trained with Aokiji as well as other worthy swordsmen and had absorbed their techniques, forming her own unique attacks and skillsets. So she was sure the skills was not what she's missing either. Speed was also not the problem. In fact she'd say her speed is the only thing that she is on par with Mihawk right now. So what was it?

Remember when she said she couldn't afford to lose a split second of concentration when fighting against Mihawk. Well, her little inner contemplation certainly lasted longer than a second, and just that second costed her whole fight. Having lost her step after barely dodging a swift slice to her side, Mihawk seized the opportunity to knock her off balance completely.

Pinning his sword next to the vein of her neck, his knowing look of his supremacy loomed over her defeated form as she fisted the dusty ground, digging her nails into her palm.

"So you've improved." He broke the silence and examined the nook on his sleeves where one of her attacks managed to have pierced. But not a single drop of blood in place, at least on his side. Karl was covered in gashes of different sized wounds from the nip on her left cheekbone to the gush on the side of her right thigh. Seeing that she wasn't able to put a single cut on him she cursed.

"But not nearly as much as what I had hoped to see." Karl wasn't sure if that was a praise or another blow to her almost deflated ego, and opted out of responding to his comments. She closed her eyes and fisted through her wig of long hair. She was surprised it was still atop of her head, maybe the glue she bought was of better quality than the credit she gave it.

She wasn't sure how long had passed while she laid spread out on the soiled ground. Mihawk's figure still stood above her as he polished his sword, ridding it off her blood.

The sun was about to set when she uttered out her first words since her defeat.

"What am I missing." The question had repeated itself again and again in her mind not just during the fight and its aftermath, but throughout her journey while seeking him.

Karl had almost thought Mihawk had left after what felt like ages of silence, but then his words hit her full force.

"A stronger will with a clearer motive." He regarded her for a moment waiting for her to register his words before continuing.

"You lack a strong will. Sure you possess a will otherwise I wouldn't have agreed to even fight you. But it's not enough to take you beyond what you currently are. You will never become a swordmaster if all you chase after is empty titles and shaky ambitions." No, what he was saying was not true. She had every good reason to be where she was right now. She had lived for this. Hadn't she?

"You don't know me." It came out as a weak whisper and she absolutely abhorred the way she shrank in his presence.

"Then tell me. What else could have brought you as far as demanding a duel with me; when you already know the outcome; other than your childish desire to prove that women can be stronger than men."

"You ran away from your life as a noble, joined the Marines and then went after vague terms such as Justice. To me, it seems like you did all these without a purpose." Although his voice was level as usual, to Karl they sounded accusing and full of venom.

Before she could realise what she was doing, she had sprang up and swung at Mihawk with her bare fists having lost her katana when she was pinned down. He spoke as if he knew what she's been through… He didn't. Mihawk easily evaded her attacks and proceeded to speak in his indifferent voice,

"A swordsman without his sword is nothing. A swordsman who continued to attack when a duel has been lost does not deserve his title." His words like a tranquiliser, snapped her out of her rage, and Karl realised that indeed Mihawk had said nothing but the truth.

"Go find your meaning and purpose. There was a reason why I, myself, personally trained a youth and in doing so prolonged my stay for half a year at the island of Hyacinthus."

"Show me the fire which burned behind your eyes so vividly again."

"Find what fueled that fire. Until then we shall duel no more." His words swayed with the wind, slowly disappearing over the horizon.

"And while you do so, make sure you find yourself a decent sword. A sword reflects its wielder's skills and is meant to stay for life. Each sword is different. You switch swords too often, that's why you can't form a style." His parting words were burned into her mind as she picked up her katana. The edge of her sword was chipped from Mihawk's brutal yet elegant assaults. It was a pity, she quite liked this katana. She had only gotten it as a replacement quite recently when her last one didn't hold in a fight.

Her duel didn't achieve what she had hoped it would, but it did point her to a new path which she had to take.

But before she could tread down that path, she would need to regroup with Lex and resume her role as Captain. She couldn't really walk out of her role as a marine quite that easily.


	5. Rebirth: A Letter from the Headquarters

Amidst the halcyon waters, a speedboat soundlessly approached a dormant marine ship. The waves drawn by the boat shimmered a silvery hue – reflecting the colour of the moon atop the night sky. A single silhouette of a young lad stretched across the tides, Karl had once again reverted to her normal outfit – a loose shirt and navy jeans minus the iconic marine cloak.

Anchoring her own speedboat, Karl jumped onboard swiftly and made her way to the captain's chambers which she had neglected for weeks. With a squeak of the hinges, she pushed open the door and was greeted by Lex who was unsurprisingly awake – she had phoned him using her baby den den mushi just a few hours ago to confirm the exact coordinates where he had stationed her ship.

"Welcome back lost sheep! It only took you 3 and a half weeks to find your way!" Lex's voice greeted her with feigned enthusiasm. Rolling her eyes at an all too familiar face, _her face_, she scrutinised Lex's disguise. It was perfect. The physical resemblance was unnerving. The seamless disguise disturbed her a little, as the realisation that she was easily replaceable sank in.

"Don't worry no one noticed a thing out of place while you were away." His words further confirmed her theory. She nodded and gestured for him to come to her desk for a report as even though it was only a few weeks, she needed to be debriefed on what had occurred in the interval.

"Engaged twice with pirate forces, no casualties. Slight damage to the main mast during one of the crossfires but it's already repaired. Resupplied for food and appliances once and the headquarters sent a letter to you." Never mind, a lot of things seemed to have occurred during her short absence.

"When did the letter arrive?" Taking particular notice towards the last part of his report, Karl questioned while massaging her scalp, already foreseeing the paperwork she had to fill out.

"Two days ago" Lex replied with a curious glance as she opened the letter and began to read its contents. It wasn't every day that a Captain received a formal letter rather than a call from the headquarters.

"Think that they're already planning on demoting you?" Lex jested, and Karl resisted the urge to either roll her eyes again or tell him to get out. Opting for the former she heard Lex complain about her poor people skills. Whatever, as long as she achieved her goal nothing else mattered. Speaking of which, her goal… She needed to work on that if she planned on ever achieving what she had initially set off for.

Eyes scanning the contents and doing a double scan again to make sure she had read it correctly Karl groaned. She was not expecting this. The fleet admiral had specifically assigned her to Alabasta – stationed to be the next marine captain after the previous charge was reported as missing. That part didn't surprise her as much as it had annoyed her since by being chained to one place it meant less chances of fighting worthy opponents. It was not the most desirable path but she would have to learn to live with it.

The next part however did surprise her. She had to collaborate with; read – investigate; a shichibukai who also happened to be in the area. Work with a pirate. Crocodile. The letter then progressed to inform her of the current situation in the country – anarchy and civil wars as well as increasing crime rates and number of bounty hunters.

Karl had a vague suspicion that they all clicked into each other, and the shichibukai's presence only served to make matters worse. It wasn't every day that a shichibukai took a prolonged holiday in a country, nor the fact that the said country elapsed into civil wars afterwards. She hadn't heard many stories about the warlord as opposed to some but that meant either he was unimportant or that he was extremely secretive. Obviously, just from his title, the first option was out which meant – he was the type of man who worked behind the scenes, hiding his tracks. The type she loathed the most. The image of a certain twisted sociopath crossed her mind for a second before she pushed the thought away. She was not facing the same person. They were different – or so she had hoped.

"So… What's the big message." Lex drawled with a more serious expression. He had probably caught on to the fact that she didn't like what she's read. He was able to decipher her constantly stern expression over the years and could tell the changes to her mood from the slightest twitch of her facial muscles. And right now, her features were stiffer than normal – aka she was anxious and displeased about something.

"We're off to Alabasta. Sengoku's orders. Stationed for an undeterminable period. Need to cooperate with the Shichibukai Crocodile while at it." Her monotoned voice echoed in the room. She appeared the same as usual, or so what any other person would've believed. Her clenched jaw, fingers that tapped irregularly against the wooden desk, and a posture rivalling that of a statue's told Lex otherwise.

"Lex, do you still have the…" Without needing to complete her request, Lex tossed her exactly what she craved. A bottle of unprescribed painkillers – something that cured her of the worst headaches she suffered and Lex always carried a bottle on him whenever he's around.

After swallowing two pills along with some water, she felt slightly tipsy but generally better – better in the sense that she no longer felt like either bashing her head on something hard or splitting her table in half. Yes, they also seemed to suppress her rather violent tendencies.

"I'm guessing Crocodile is the problem here." After a while Lex sighed and leaned onto her table.

"Who knows. Maybe I just prefer sailing the sea over being stationed in one spot. In fact, I definitely prefer that." Karl challenged back and slipped on an unusual smirk. The drug had side effects, and bringing out her less serious side; a side that was normally non-existent; was one of them.

Lex wore a slightly amused, yet concerned expression at her change of character. Shaking his head he chided,

"You should get some rest. We'll discuss matters again tomorrow morning when you're more… sober."

"Oh yeah remember to take care of the speedboat I travelled on~ I tied it to the anchor~" She chirped out at his retreating figure.

"Yeah okay, I'll get to it." And with that he left her to her own drowsiness. The soft thud of the door shutting was the last thing she heard before she slouched back against her chair and slipped into a deep slumber.

* * *

The dull thuds on the deck outside woke her from her well-needed rest. The headache which had plagued her the night before disappeared with her sleep. Taking note that the drug also caused a certain level of drowsiness in her system as another side effect and should not be taken when her body was exhausted, she got up from her chair and stretched. Although she had some quality sleep, the position was awful. Sure her chair was made from soft leather and all but it did not serve the same purpose as a bed. Grimacing a little at the state of her clothing; sticky from the salty sea breeze during her travel and crumbled from her sleep; Karl decided to push back her meeting with her crew on their change of course and took a much-postponed shower.

Feeling more refreshed, Karl proceeded on with her normal morning routine which consisted of binding her chest, dressing loosely to the marine uniform code – a suit over a dress shirt and trousers wasn't her thing, and lastly making herself some straight black coffee while brushing her teeth.

Now that her body was re-energised, she began to carefully think about her next course of actions. Sailing to Alabasta was inevitable and already much postponed since she was two days late – though she could always make some excuse and blame it on the unpredictable weather of the Grandline or pirates or both. Crocodile though… Pushing out the possibility of him being anywhere akin to her nemesis, she shook her head and decided to be a little more optimistic today. Besides, she's sure the shichibukai would try his best to stay out of her way if he was indeed hiding something by taking seemingly permanent residence in Alabasta.

Whatever he's hiding; if there was anything; he better keep it well hidden or else she would purge it before its roots even sprouted. Or she would try. With her current state, she doubted a head-on fight with a Shichibukai would be favourable to her. Her last duel with Mihawk has impacted her more than she hoped for. Which brought back the question of how should she complete her style.

Her wavering ambitions or so he kindly put it as was not the problem. Karl was sure. She had not set out for sail without considering what she was seeking. Strength, freedom, and to prove to herself and to the rest of the world that she was as strong as; if not stronger; than the most powerful swordsmen. Why though? That question lingered for a while longer in her head, and once again she felt a sudden swarm of headaches build up. She always felt like as if she had forgotten something. Something important. Crucial to her identity. But what?

Letting the thought sway in and out of her mind, Karl resolved that whatever it was – she would find out one way or another. It would just take a while to get there. But that's okay, she had plenty of time, being fixed in a country of sand and warfare with nothing but a hostile warlord.

Karl stepped out of her chambers and greeted her men like usual, as if she hadn't been absent from the ship for nearly a month, and gathered them up for the announcement. To say that her men took their stationing in Alabasta with optimism was a lie. But they didn't seem as reluctant as she had initially expected which was good news for her. After all mutiny at sea was every Captain's nightmare.

She suspected that Lex had a play in this overall positive reaction. She had heard excited mutters about the exotic women unique to the desert land and mouth-watering feasts from a few men who she had passed after the big announcement. Lex always seemed to know exactly what to say to change people's moods upon hearing unpleasant news. She really should find a chance to promote him on the next island. A request for another promotion wouldn't be that hard seeing that Alabasta screamed of crime and some well-needed order. She's sure Lex would be able to appease things here and there and would give her a chance to even out her debt.

And lastly, she needed to get a new sword. Another katana would be preferable. She was most proficient at using the slightly curved blade of a katana ever since the start of her swordsmanship. Taking out her previous katana, now damaged and no longer usable after clashing blades with Mihawk, she unsheathed it for the final time and took in the chipped edges before encasing it in its sheath, leaving it to lie in a dusty drawer.


	6. Rebirth: A Lost Crew

The scorching heat amidst the endless dunes wiped the men of any fantasies they might've had previously towards the country of deserts and warfare – Alabasta. Groans and complaints escaped the lips of well-trained Marines who were used to the cool breeze from the sea as they trudged on.

Karl exhaled deeply as she tugged on the sleeves, trying to cover as much of her skin as possible – sunburnt was inevitable though. The swarm of heat clustered inside her cloak combined with trails of sweat seeping down her shirt which was already drenched was borderline tolerable. But the presence of Lex drew the last straw.

"Lex. One more word from you about the likelihood of all of us dying from dehydration before we make it to the post and I'll bury you in the sand myself." She didn't even bother to hide the irritation from her voice.

"I would be scared if your voice didn't crack twice in that one sentence." Despite not drinking any liquid for the past day or so, Lex's voice was annoyingly the same as usual.

"Just shut up okay." Karl grimaced a little at her voice which was akin to that of a teenage boy who had just hit puberty.

"There there. Take it easy. You're gonna rip those melodious vocal cords that make the girls swoon every time."

Karl would've retorted that she would kill him someday if she didn't find it increasingly more difficult to just breathe normally. She wouldn't want to waste her breath any more than she had to.

"I'm so sorry Captain! It's all my fault that I've lost the map and the eternal post and now we're stuck in the middle of nowhere..." An apologetic voice rang from her left. Was he weeping? He must have some pretty impressive tear glands to be able to produce any moisture after taking in little to no water for the past day or two.

"Save those words for when we reach the base. I do not need apologies." She dismissed him with as much of a level voice as she could muster. He was undoubtedly suspicious. She should've known that something was wrong the moment her navigator fell sick without a warning when they docked at Nanohana and instead an ensign, who was stationed there, volunteered to take his place as a substitute navigator.

"Don't beat yourself up over it. It couldn't be helped." Lex stepped in to offer words of kindness to the officer. A look of gratitude towards his saviour, the ensign bowed and stepped away from the brooding captain.

Shooting a glare at her second in command, Karl went through some of the more creative roles she could torture Lex with once they reached the marine base. Perhaps assign him to a unit with only men to crush his dream of working alongside beautiful Alabasta women. That guy always got on her nerves during situations like this. He knew as well as her that something was fishy about that ensign yet he acted as if nothing was wrong. Didn't he understand that the lives of her crew were at stake here? Dehydration was lethal in a country like Alabasta. He probably didn't. Otherwise, he wouldn't be joking about the matter.

"Keep an eye on him. I'll personally interrogate him once we reach the base." With that, Karl strode past Lex and marched ahead in an attempt to scout the area for any noticeable landmarks. Somewhere in the background, Lex muttered,

"If you interrogate him, we'll never get anywhere." The words escaped Karl's ears – the heat was too much for her to be able to concentrate on anything else.

A few weeks ago, they had docked their ship on the docks of Nanohana and had restocked enough supplies to last over a week before heading off to Alabasta. It was only supposed to take a few days to reach the base, yet almost two weeks had passed but there was still no sight of Alabasta.

The map which the ensign had lost stated that Alabasta was due north-east of Nanohana and even without a compass – they could easily predict the bearings from the position of the sun. But where the hell was the goddamn capital city. The scorching sand seemed to burn into the heels of her feet as she once again trudged on another mountainous sand dune. As she reached the top, she glanced over her shoulder to ensure that her crew was still in a visible distance behind her before glaring up at the blazing sun.

Stretching her arm out towards the ball of fire which was due to sink in the far west in a few hours, she estimated the coordinates of north-west to make sure that they had been travelling on course. The sight of nearing infrastructure froze her in her tracks. An oasis she thought.

On the far end of the horizon was what appeared to be civilisation. The moment of ecstasy passed as she let out a deep exhale and fell back onto the sand. The heat numbed her senses yet she refused to get up and instead bathed in the same sunlight she had loathed a couple of minutes ago. The prospect of a fresh source of water brought a tenuous smile to her features as she spread her arms in the sand, waiting for her crew to catch up.

* * *

"Your face is red but green." Lex jested, unsuccessfully holding back a laugh, as she proceeded to apply some sort of herbal ointment to her sunburnt skin. She ignored him.

"Were you seriously sunbathing in the middle of the desert when the temperature was above 40? Hahahahaha, were you delirious or what" Clearly he wasn't about to let her off easily. Karl let out a sigh and berated herself again. Maybe she really was delirious, but Lex didn't need to know.

"I already told you. I was simply taking a short break while waiting for you lot to catch up. You were too slow." She retorted at last, hissing at little as she put too much pressure on her inflamed skin.

"Yeah yeah sure" Lex grinned waving it off casually. Clearly he wasn't buying her lies.

"Have you looked into that ensign." Deciding that it was better to steer the conversation to safer waters, Karl asked with a serious face.

"Oh him… I forgot." He smiled sheepishly as Karl fumed.

"So what the heck were you doing this whole time?!" Finally, her temper had snapped as she slammed her hand into the table, causing the bottle of ointment to fall off and shatter on the concrete floor.

"Eh, looking after you?" He answered with a nervous laugh before fleeing out of the door.

"Get back here!" She yelled while tossing a book which had been lying innocently on the table previously at Lex's fleeing figure.

They had arrived at the marine base in Alabasta yesterday with a foot in the grave already for some. Karl regretted her decision to lie vulnerably under the scorching sun the very next morning when she woke up to the burning pain on parts of her body which wasn't covered by her cloak. Her face was one of those parts. Glancing at her reflection in the bronze mirror, she grimaced slightly. Her face was covered with green blots of ointment, hiding the angry red marks underneath. Well, it's going to take a while until she greets someone with her usual face again.

"Um Captain?" Looking up with a raised brow, Karl found herself staring at Lex who had returned.

"Well, this is surprising. You've already looked into him and ready to report back to me?" She questioned while twirling a fountain pen in her hands.

"About that… It seems that he disappeared after we arrived yesterday." Blinking once to register his words, Karl looked incredulously at her second in command.

"…" For a while, they just stared at each other. Karl in disbelief and Lex looked at her apologetically. A few moments later, Karl let out a sigh and slumped back onto the chair.

"Don't beat yourself too much over it. We should've expected it." She was the captain. It's mostly her responsibility to take care of matters like this.

"I…" Lex looked like he was ready to apologise before she cut him off.

"Don't. Just bring me his enlistment profile and other files related to him."

"Understood Captain." Lex saluted and without further notice, proceeded to leave her office.

"Wait," Karl added and he turned around looking slightly confused.

"Bring me a mask. I can't go around looking like this." She ordered with a little hesitation.

"Of course, our handsome captain can't go around looking like an ogre after all." He chuckled before waving his hand and dodging another book aimed at his back. She thought he'd be a little disgruntled after realising their miscalculation, but clearly, nothing was going to change that blockhead.

Her workload had increased once more. She had only just assumed her role as the marine captain of Alabasta but already her desk was piled with paperwork and she was currently awaiting more paperwork. This wasn't exactly what she had envisioned on her way here but clearly, she was never going to escape her responsibilities as a marine.

What happened to all the mysteries and crime surrounding the desert country? She thought she'd at least be using her sword a few times a day here but clearly she assumed wrong.

Lex returned again in the afternoon with a fresh pile of documents in one arm and a small pouch in the other. Tossing her the pouch and dropping the files on her desk, he looked at her expectantly. Under his look of anticipation, she opened the pouch and stared at its contents. A mask. What she had asked for. But… Why was it decorated?

"Could you please explain why you bought me a cat-faced mask." She deadpanned after taking it out.

"Doesn't it suit you?" He asked innocently though the smirk which tugged at his lips said otherwise.

"Don't compare me to the likes of you." Tossing the mask at his face, Karl felt a bit exasperated. Why did she agree to let him board her ship again? Somehow, all of Lex's skills and virtues seemed to have escaped her as she thought about shipping him back to Aokiji.

"Hey you wound me! What's wrong with liking cats? They're a gift from God!" Lex gasped at her jab towards his adoration for the fluff balls.

After some more bickering, Lex relented and pulled out another mask he had bought and chucked it on her table.

"Fine. I knew you wouldn't appreciate my refined tastes so I bought the ugliest mask I saw." Picking up the black and silver mask, Karl nodded in approval. A silver-coloured mask with simple black swirls cutting in diagonally and a thin ribbon threading from each side. Perfect. Ignoring his remark, she pulled the mask to her face and tied a knot with the ribbon behind her head. Now she didn't need to worry about either scaring the marines or getting laughed at when she left the room.

At least one of her problems was resolved. Flipping through the files Lex had formulated she tried to configure a plan to find their missing 'ensign'.

"Are you sure that all his details were fabricated?" She questioned after reading through his report.

"Yep. I've investigated his address as well as members of his supposed family. They were all fabricated."

"Just how did he get past the Marine's background check…" She wondered out loud and rapped the surface of the table.

"That is assuming that he was indeed a marine ensign as he claimed to be."

"Now that you mentioned it… It was weird how suddenly a dozen marines popped out of nowhere when we docked…" Karl groaned, realising her mistake.

"We probably need to reinvestigate at Nanohana again," Lex added

"Just when we got here… And now we have to return to that port again…"

After confirming a few other points, she dismissed Lex and began to work through the other piles of paperwork on her desk. She vowed to complete all of them before she headed off to sleep but it was already well deep into the night yet she still has almost half of the initial amount of paperwork left to do.

"Just 10 minutes…" She told herself as she leaned her head against the table for a short nap. Her eyelids grew heavier as she blanked out. That night she dreamt of the sea. The tireless tides and the constant rocking beneath her feet. The salty sea breeze and the waters which brought with it endless adventures. And of course, she dreamt of wielding her old sword. Cutting down Mihawk and forcing him to acknowledge her strength. It was a good sleep despite the high chances that her neck and back would be sore the next morning.


	7. Rebirth: An Unexpected Encounter

"Captain, I apprehended a bunch of people who were dressed as marines near the port", Lex reported through the Den Den Mushi.

"Likewise, I found another group near the eateries," Karl responded as she secured the men she had knocked out with handcuffs and ropes.

"Were there that many when we were here before?" Not that she remembered. Shrugging it off, she assumed that they simply recruited more after they left.

"…Hey! What are you doing?!" One of the men had woken up to realise that he was now cuffed and immobilised.

"Arresting you lot for impersonating marines. Now tell me what is your objective?" she demanded after cutting off the call with Lex.

"I have no idea what you're talking about! We're actually marines!" He cried and tried to break free from the ropes.

"Who do you work for." Ignoring his defence she continued to interrogate. People often told her that she had a selective hearing during interrogations – she would admit that it wasn't her forte. The process of milking information out of handicapped men appeared awfully dull and dishonourable to her.

This lasted for almost an hour before she decided to take a break. Her captives were almost bored out of their minds by her mind-numbing form of interrogation. Questions asked repetitively in a monotoned voice. Should she incorporate some violence and intimidation and take it to the next level? But whenever she did that her interrogatees would always end up dead before she could ask her first question. Lex often mentioned that she could not control her strength, that interrogations were meant to be drawn out as painfully and as long as possible. She never understood the technicalities surrounding the art of interrogation.

"What is going on here?" A gruff voice demanded while she pondered over the methods of interrogation.

"Who the hell are you." The muscular man spat out while biting down on two cigars, storming towards her. Was he their ringleader? Eyeing the marine cloak on his back, Karl met his glare and voiced out her thoughts.

"You do know that impersonating marine officials is considered a first-degree crime?"

"I could say the same thing. On top of that, you are unlawfully detaining marine officials." He pointed towards the men she was interrogating previously.

"Hm? I was under the assumption that they were fakes. There was a precedent case here after all." A short interval of examining the man before her gave her a good idea of his identity. It wasn't every day that a white-haired man who wielded a Jitte happened to have 2 cigars in his mouth. Just like the rumours, the white hunter was not a man to be taken lightly.

"You're Captain Smoker." She asked, phrasing it as more of a statement than a question.

"I am." He answered as they sized up each other.

"I'm not going to let you off for capturing my men." He stated after a long silence, his gaze cold and piercing.

"How do you want to settle it then?" She raised her defences and asked coolly while fingering the hilt of her blade. She had acquired the katana from the weaponry room back in the base. It was a little unpolished for her liking, but it'll do for now.

"Take off your mask. And give yourself up. State your purpose and why you're impersonating a marine." He demanded and jabbed his Jitte towards her and then to his men. Oh, there seemed to be a misunderstanding. Oh boy, this was going to take a while.

"I might scare your men if I took off my mask. So I refuse your first request." Karl kept her voice level while underneath the mask her eyes twitched. She would rather die than look disgraced in front of another Marine Captain due to her idiocy.

"As for your other requests. It's a bit difficult to explain." Smoker's eyes narrowed at her words. He looked like he was ready to strike her down. In defence, she tightened her grip on her katana, ready to draw it if the negotiation turned sour.

"As you can tell… I was under the impression that your men were the ones who were impersonating marines. I was not informed that your crew would be landing in Nanohana today." Karl explained while closely watching Smoker for any hostile movements. It won't look good if she got into a fight with a fellow Marine Captain just a few days after she reported to duty at Alabasta.

"You see interrogations aren't exactly one of my strengths so I didn't realise that they were indeed genuine marines." She went on, but Smoker looked like he wasn't buying her story – when it was indeed the truth. The men who were now untied by other members of Smoker's crew gawked at her explanation. They didn't look like they bought her explanation either. To her defence, she just wasn't the best at differentiating between truths and lies in her interrogatees' confessions. That was Lex's job.

"Anyhow. It was all a misunderstanding." She summed up and awaited Smoker's response.

"You expect me to buy that bullshit." He deadpanned and smoke formed around his figure. Not good. The White Hunter has the power of a logia fruit in his hands whereas she only had the makeshift katana around her hips and no breakthrough in her skills. Her shoulders deflated as she resigned herself for a long, drawn-out one-sided battle.

Blocking yet another blow from Smoker, Karl jumped backwards and drafted up counter strategies in her head. His right arm and upper body had transformed into smoke making it extra hard for her to disarm him. Using his left arm, he was launching attacks with his Jitte. Logia types – physical attacks wouldn't work against them. However… Her eyes caught sight of the Jitte in Smoker's hands. He was being extra careful in the way he's handling his weapon. Holding it by the hilt which was wrapped in cloth and away from his body. She waited until his Jitte was about to connect before sidestepping and reappearing on his other side. Again he avoided cutting the Jitte through his own body which had evaporated into smoke, and instead span around to reattack.

Her eyes glinted as she formulated her plan. If her theory proved correct, his Jitte was most likely coated in sea prison stone. A weapon which could be counterproductive for its logia user. A small smirk tugged on her lips and for the first time in this faceoff, she went on the attacking side. Aiming faints at his side and neck, she sliced through his smoke form and waited for a chance.

"It's futile. I'm made of smoke. Someone of your calibre can never hit me." His voice was low and full of confidence.

Now. With three consecutive fast movements, her swings cut through the air and headed straight towards Smoker's left arms, separating his limbs. Her attack seemed to have taken him by surprise as he was one second too slow to regenerate his arms. And in that second, Karl sprinted towards the Jitte which was suspended mid-air after Smoker lost his grip. Snatching it by the hilt, she replaced her katana with her opponent's weapon instead.

It was the first time she used a Jitte, but she would think of it as an unpolished sword and utilise it in the same way. She lunged it at Smoker's torso and was satisfied to see that it managed to make direct contact, proving her theory correct. So it was coated in sea stone after all.

"A good strategy. But that's as far as you go." As soon as the words left his lips he let out bursts of smoke from his body, creating a shield which obscured her vision. Where was he, where was he. Her eyes darted around the smoggy space and braced herself for any incoming attacks.

Barely dodging out of the way as Smoker's fist materialised in one of her blind spots and swung at her from behind, she scouted the area for any places which could serve as cover. Before she could make out any visible places amongst all the smoke, a hand clasped around her wrist. Swinging the Jitte towards the intruder, a familiar leather plaited bracelet fell into her sight.

"Lex?"

Familiar olive skin, ash blonde hair, and silver eyes which always twinkled with mischief appeared in front of her.

"What are you doing?" He questioned her and eyed the Jitte which belonged to a certain smoky captain.

"You see…" She was not good at explaining things. Where should she start?

"You do realise that you were mistaken right? The ones you captured were genuine marines that docked today."

"Yeah."

"Then why are you fighting him right now?" He mused. Was he finding the situation amusing?

"I tried to explain but he wouldn't listen." Lex raised a brow at her defence and she could tell that he wasn't buying it.

"I'll take over. Unlike you, I actually have a way with words. Not everything can be solved with brute strength in this world." He chided and raised his hand asking her to hand him the other captain's weapon which she confiscated. How ironic. She was scolded for being a brute and not being delicate enough with words by a guy. Well not that she minded.

As they headed back, the sight of a marine swordswoman who stood beside the fuming captain stopped the two in their tracks.

"Looks like someone else beat us to it," Lex commented and turned to face his own captain.

"I only realised something was wrong when you told me you also captured a dozen or so marines. The numbers didn't match. So when I ran into her, I realised that maybe one of us captured genuine marines."

"She's a marine through and through. That girl memorised all the marine codes we were forced to recite. She testified that the ones I apprehended were not part of her crew so I assumed that you held the rest of her crew. I've already explained the situation to her so she could fill her captain in instead."

"Captain?" Karl's steel eyes were fixed on the fellow swordswoman. Something about the blue-haired girl disturbed her greatly. She was familiar in a sense, but Karl was certain they had never met before. It felt wrong, the situation felt amiss. The feeling continued to nag her as she was overwhelmed with nausea.

"Captain what's wrong?" Lex's worried voice rang in her ears. Before she could reply, the other female marine spotted them. Ocean blue eyes clashed with coffee black ones as Karl sucked in a deep breath. Small black dots began swimming in her vision and her world erupted into darkness.

* * *

She was falling. Down, down, into an abyss of shadows which engulfed her figure. She wanted to run but her body was paralysed. Looking around frantically, she searched for a spark of light, a ray of hope. A fleeting flash of bright brilliance appeared before her. She twitched her arms, desperately trying to grasp that light and escape this void of emptiness. She was too late. It was going to escape her again. No! Her eyes snapped open and she turned to face the gleam of light which had filled the room from the door which was left ajar.

"You're finally awake!" A familiar deep voice exclaimed. Lex pushed open the door and upon seeing that she was awake, he stepped in, greeting her.

"What's with you, it's the second time now since we arrived that I had to haul your unconscious ass back here." Sitting up and ignoring the throbbing ache in her head, Karl found herself in the Captain's room back in the marine base at Alabasta.

"How long has passed since I was out." She massaged her temples and asked with a frown.

"Three days. If you were still unconscious by today I was ready to sue the doctors here for fraud," there was a certain candidness in his witty remarks.

"Seriously, is there something wrong with your body?" He asked, looking at her straight in the eyes.

"No." She disclaimed it as soon as the question left his lips. Nothing was wrong with her body she was sure. If anything, something was wrong inside her head. It's been happening more frequently lately. That eerie feeling she couldn't put into words.

"How did you explain the situation to my men." She shrugged it off and got up, walking to her desk to check the amount of work she missed while she was out cold.

"Said you got a heat stroke. They bought it since it's not the first time now isn't it." He walked to her desk and passed her the files sitting on the top pile.

"Just look over these for now. I compiled all the important tasks here." She hummed in response and scanned over the tasks awaiting her.

"The ones who impersonated marines are locked up in the basement. I already interrogated them and it appears they're working with a crime syndicate. Baroque works is what they call it. They also function as a bounty hunting organisation. They said they were billions or something." He passed her another report once she finished with the major paperwork regarding supplies and officer assignments.

"What would an organisation like that want with the marines?" They were working to delay her arrival at the base. But what for?

"Who knows. I did get another piece of intel from one of the weaker-minded members. They apparently operate the most near Rainbase." He had separated the captured individuals in isolated cells and worked on them one by one. After incorporating a mixture of physical, mental and psychological tactics, all of them relented and confessed. There was a reason he was the better interrogator between the two of them.

"Hm. Isn't that where the Shichibukai is supposed to be?" How interesting. Things were already starting to fall together and she's only assumed post a week ago.

"We'll head there once we finish up on this end." She concluded and gone over some of the other reports piled on her desk.

"Also, what happened with Smoker?" Remembering the last encounter she wondered how it ended.

"Well, he got the idea of the situation from his subordinate. He looked like he was about to throw a fuss but there wasn't much he could do since you were unconscious and all." He chuckled and continued,

"I gave him back his Jitte and told him that you were suffering from a heat stroke and I'd bring you back."

"Well it could've been worse," she offered and returned to doing the paperwork.

"Yeah, at least he didn't felt the need to sabotage a senseless body." He added enthusiastically. Taking in a deep breath, she demanded,

"If you have nothing better to do, go and grab me another katana. I'm pretty sure you didn't bother retrieving the one I left behind during my confrontation with Smoker." She deadpanned and pointed towards the door, signalling for him to leave her in peace. She didn't need to be reminded that if the fight continued the chances of her beating Smoker were thin even if she got hold of a sea prison stone coated weapon. She still had a long way to go…


	8. Rebirth: A Departing Ship

It's been two days since she left the marine station for Rain Base. She had only stopped for a rest once when it was well into the night and replenished her body with canned meals and a few hours of sleep. Feeling the gush of hot wind sweep against her face as she rode on a Super Spot-Billed Duck, they were supposedly the fastest form of transport available here at Alabasta, Karl let out a long sigh. After a week of pure paperwork and more investigation, she finally had a better grasp on the situation surrounding Alabasta and how Crocodile's role fell into place.

The Shichibukai had relocated to Alabasta almost 16 years ago. It was even longer than what she had initially presumed. He became widely known as the pirate hunting hero and had been well perceived by Alabasta's population until now. A decade ago a criminal organisation; namely the Baroque works, started thriving. At the same time, a civil war emerged after King Cobra was exposed to be using Dance Powder to artificially generate rain. Two years ago, the Princess of Alabasta, Vivi, had disappeared without a trace. And a month before she docked at Alabasta, the previous Captain stationed in the kingdom was reported missing. How exactly did all these seemingly disparate events link together?

The question remained unanswered as the cloaked marine and her companion sped through the desert scope. That was what she was going to find out. She might've strayed a little from her initial assignment, but the Headquarters should've expected it. She wasn't the type to be chained to one place after all. That was if they ever caught wind of her disappearance. She left Lex in her stead again for a reason.

"Purupurupuru. Kacha." The sombre howl of the wind was broken by her Den Den Mushi.

"Hello." Taking out her personal snail, she answered.

"It's me." Her own voice greeted her from the other side. It was Lex. Had something happened?

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"You sure you don't need a hat or anything? You finally got to ditch that mask after such a long time, you don't want a repeat of that again do you?" And just like that, all concern towards her second in command escaped her thoughts.

"Don't you worry. I brought the mask you so kindly picked out for me so I'm prepared." From the week of hearing the same insults, again and again, Karl finally mastered the art of dealing with Lex.

"When did you learn about sarcasm?" Lex sounded amused and the corners of her lips twitched.

"When I was constantly exposed to your nonsense." She shot back and sped up, keeping a firm grip on the reins of her travel guide. The only times she appreciated his presence was on the battlefield or when she needed the painkillers he always kept on him.

"Well did you need me for something?" She asked as the wind whipped against her ears.

"No nothing important. It's just that I remembered why Smoker looked so familiar."

"He looked familiar?" She didn't remember meeting the other captain before.

"Well, you probably don't remember because you're never a step outside the training room but I remember seeing Smoker board our ship pretty often when we were still with Aokiji." Well that was surprising. What business did he have with the lazy admiral?

"Aokiji never introduced him to the rest of us but I think they're pretty close." Wait a minute, this call wasn't only about this news right?

"You're lucky the fight didn't go on. He could be terrifying when he was mad. Once one of the petty officers on Aokiji's ship spilt water over Smoker's uniform. No one knows what happened afterwards but the poor guy ended up developing a phobia of smoke."

"Let me get this right. You called me just to share this piece of useless information about our previous charge and a random captain I got into a fight with the other day." Taking in a deep breath, she asked Lex.

"Well yes. Don't you find it surprising? I mean I don't see anything in common between the two of them. Like how on earth did they become friends?!"

"Kacha." With that confirmed she ended the call. Sure she found the fact surprising but seriously, how bored must he be to be gossiping over two old men's friendship? Shaking her head, Karl wondered if Lex should consider changing careers. Maybe a private investigator suited him more.

* * *

By the time familiar arid plains of Nanohana came into view, the sun had almost disappeared behind the horizon. She somehow managed set foot on the port town once again before dusk. She seemed to be attracted to this town profoundly. She's been here how many times now in a span of a few weeks?

It was going to be hard, but she should be able to find a cargo boat that's heading to a port near Rain Base, the two towns facilitated trade regularly after all. If not, then she would settle for some accommodation here for the night before finding one when dawn breaks. Swiftly, Karl dismounted and sent her travelling companion for the past two days back to where it came from.

The sky glowed a murky shade of orange as she trod down the dusty streets towards the harbour. Cargo ships, cargo ships… Eyes scanning through the array of vessels docked, Karl searched for one which looked ready to set sail soon.

She found one, though it was definitely not what she was looking for. Sails unveiled from the mast, anchor almost aweigh. A marine vessel was about to depart. No, no, she shook her head, she wouldn't be working with other marines on this. They weren't even part of her crew. Going to investigate the city which a Shichibukai was staying at indefinitely, when she was given no orders to do so, was not something she wanted to tell her fellow colleagues. Almost all the marines she met were blockheads whose mindsets were as malleable as a rusty blade.

She was about to turn away and look for other vessels when the order of the commanding captain fell into her ears.

"Off to Rain Base." So that's decided. With wind in her steps, she darted to the dock and leapt onboard of the departing marine ship. Well, at least it made things more convenient for her.

"What the hell is this." A familiar gruff voice growled behind her. Oh god, please don't let it be who she thought it was. Lex's earlier call came to mind and she gulped. Perhaps stealing the other captain's Jitte, even if it was only temporarily, wasn't the brightest idea after all.

"I could explain." She turned to face the man behind her and as expected it was Smoker. Why did he have to leave today? Couldn't he have left a day earlier or later. Her bad luck was impeccable at times.

"Who are you." He demanded and eyed her with suspicion. Blinking once, and then again, Karl furrowed her eyebrows. Oh, it seemed that she wasn't as unlucky as she thought initially. She had ditched the mask which covered her face when she met Smoker for the first time and was now currently in civilian clothing. There was nothing to connect her to the presumptuous marine captain who had clashed with the logia user.

"I am… Lex, a private investigator." She wasn't the most creative when it involved imposing as another person and she found it extremely hard to come up with a new identity. Her naming sense was also pretty much non-existent, or else her swords and attacks wouldn't have been nameless. So, deciding to make use of what she thought up earlier, Karl cleared her throat and introduced herself calmly.

"And what does a private investigator want with my ship." Narrowing his eyes, Smoker challenged.

"I come in peace." She raised her hands to show that she did not mean harm and tried to reason with the captain.

"I overheard that you are heading off to Rain Base. The truth is I'm trying to get there as soon as possible myself." She explained slowly and tried to keep it as truthful as possible without exposing herself.

"And why would that be."

"I was… Hired by someone to investigate a certain crime syndicate. They're called Baroque Works, you might've heard of them." For once, she managed to come up with a reasonable lie which clicked with her new identity.

"Why." He dictated, fully expecting her to answer his command.

"…" Why indeed. She couldn't possibly tell him that it was to find out why they were impersonating as marines. That would expose her.

"That is confidential. I do not disclose any of my client's information." Sighing inwardly as she came up with a sound lie, Karl avoided Smoker's interrogating gaze and fixed her eyes on the mast behind him instead.

"And why should I allow you onboard." The question hung in the air as the Karl wrecked up her brain trying to think of a satisfactory answer.

"…I can help you capture any pirates that we ran into along the way?" It was true, whether marines or private investigators, they both capable of capturing pirates.

"Hmph. Tashigi, go confirm his identity. Don't try to pull anything, got it?" He turned heels and left, leaving his silent approval for her stay. Tashigi? A slender framed girl came into view and greeted her enthusiastically. Hm, she looked familiar? Oh yea, she had met her eyes just before she blacked out a week ago. Something about the other girl left an unsettling feeling in her chest, but just before she understood what it was, it disappeared.

"Lex-san was it? Nice to meet you, I'm Tashigi. Please come this way, I would like to know a few things about you." She politely asked and led her to what she assumed was the meeting room. Taking a seat on one of the cushioned chairs as Tashigi handed her a cup of tea, Karl studied the girl in front of her closely. She had dark blue hair, a petite face, and round hazel eyes behind a pair of red glasses. The girl carried a refined-looking sword on her side and appeared well-mannered overall. She was a swordswoman too huh? The girl's steps were too heavy. Her form was good, although a little too conforming to conventions for her liking. Overall, mid-tiered swordsman. Not someone she particularly desired a duel with.

"So I heard that you said you were a private investigator by the name Lex?" The girl cut right to the chase and questioned her with a seriousness which wasn't there before.

"Yes, I am," Karl replied a little stiffly.

"Is there anyone who can verify your identity?"

"Well…" Of course, there wasn't anyone like that. Lex the private investigator was born today after all. But there was someone who would cover for her regardless.

"Yes, there is. His name is Karl. He is a marine Captain who was recently stationed in Alabasta's marine base. Just tell him that I'm Lex the private investigator who is going to investigate a matter at Rain Base." He should know what she was trying to do if he heard that.

"Ohh, Karl-san right. I actually met him a few days ago, although we didn't get to talk. Wait a moment, I will call the marine's line at Alabasta and ask them to transfer me to Karl-san."

"Hello, Karl speaking." A smooth voice rang from the other side. It was weird hearing her own voice come out of a Den-den Mushi which mimicked her appearance as well.

"This is Tashigi. I am calling to confirm the identity of a private investigator who is going to be sailing with us."

"Private investigator huh?" Her own voice questioned from the other side.

"Yes Karl-san, he said that you can confirm his identity. He is called Lex and is going to investigate a matter at Rain Base." Tashigi explained as Karl resisted the temptation to facepalm. Oh, the irony of the situation.

"Hmphn." A muffled sound came from the snail. She could already imagine what Lex was doing right now. That being, clutching on his side as he failed to hold in his laughter.

"Karl-san? Do you not know who Lex is?" Tashigi questioned puzzledly and looked at her in question.

"Please excuse me. I accidentally hit my leg against the table. But yes, Lex was it? He's a private investigator. I know him very well. He may be a little aloof and unpleasant at times but please do take care of him." Karl said with amusement.

"Oh! I hope you're alright! Not at all, Lex-san is a very nice person, I'll make sure he is comfortable during the trip!" Tashigi exclaimed and this time Karl couldn't help but facepalm. Lex too couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh at the situation.

"But can you please describe his appearance to make sure we have the same person?" Tashigi continued,

"Yes of course. Red hair, blue eyes, pale complex, figure on the scrawny side but posture is always upright." Her eyes twitched a little at Lex's description of herself. She wasn't scrawny. She could pummel him single-handedly. And she will when she returned. After some more pleasantries, the call was ended and Tashigi was even friendlier than before.

With her identity verified, Tashigi took her to an unoccupied room and gave her some time and space to settle in. Apparently it used to be a storeroom but they had renovated it into a spare bedchamber recently. Tashigi told her that no one was using it at the moment since it wasn't decided who should move in so she could stay in it during the trip. That worked well for her since she wasn't about to expose her gender yet. If they hadn't offered her the room she would've volunteered to be on the watch and slept on the crow's nest instead. But this was way more comfortable.

The fatigue from travelling continuously for two days straight finally caught up to her as she fell back onto the hammock. Rain Base huh? She wondered what it had in store for her. As she drifted into a deep slumber, she dreamt about a certain blue-haired girl. Her vows and her cold, unmoving body.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Since it wasn't clear if Smoker arrived at Nanohana on the same day as Luffy or not, I'm just going to assume that he arrived a week before Luffy and ran into Karl. So in this chapter, Smoker met Luffy earlier on during the day and was about to set sail to go after him when he met Karl again – just in case if anyone is confused about the timeline


	9. Reunion: Lost by an Inch

"Why are you still following us?" Smoker grunted before dumping the pirates who he had disarmed earlier to his men.

"Well, it would've gone against my honour if I were to leave without fulfilling my part of the deal." She was irritated as well. Every single pirate that they had run into were beaten up by Smoker before she even had the chance to draw her sword. She did promise that she would assist them in capturing pirates during their trip together so it was only fair that she kept her words. If only Smoker didn't beat her to it every single time...

"Smoker-san it's alright isn't it? Lex-san is only trying to help," Tashigi added. Although the two hardly talked to each other during the journey to Rain Base, with Tashigi busy cleaning up after Smoker and Karl spending all her time meditating and refining her swordsmanship, they held a mutual understanding and got along surprisingly well.

"Whatever, just don't get in my way." He walked off with Tashigi trailing behind him closely. As if she would get in his way. During the week or so she avoided him at every chance she had. She didn't want to involve herself needlessly while Smoker was around – she wasn't sure if her cover would be blown or not.

But to think she arrived at Rain Base this soon...

Walking up and down the streets, she studied the bustling town around her. Rain Base appeared to be a typical mercenary town with its crowded streets and overfilled casinos. She had overheard Crocodile's name a couple of times along the way, though it was always spoken with fondness and admiration. So normal citizens could look up to pirates? It was news to her.

However, she didn't manage to catch a single word on the actual topic she was looking into – Baroque Works. Did Lex's captives lie about Rain Base being the main operation point for the criminal organisation? Before she could entertain the thought further, a loud crash behind her drew her attention.

"Wait up, Mugiwara!" Smoker's voice roared from the corner of the street as a young boy raced towards her. Straw-hat? Wasn't that the up and rising pirate from East Blue? She was briefed on all pirates whose bounties exceeded 20 million. Those who were in her jurisdiction were pinned on the corkboard in the Captain's room, and the Mugiwara boy happened to be one of them.

Analysing the situation in the split of a second, Karl realised what she had to do. This was it. She could finally part with Smoker's crew without tainting her honour. It seemed like Smoker needed some help with this one.

Drawing her sword, Karl swung at the fleeing youth. He barely dodged out of the way before she charged at him again. He didn't seem particularly strong, why was the logia user having a hard time with him?

The boy's following actions answered her unvoiced question. His arms stretched like a rubber band before grabbing onto the railing of a building and rocketed himself away. So fast! A devil fruit user huh?

She darted after the boy and called out to Smoker,

"Captain Smoker, consider my promise fulfilled when I bring the pirate to you." At her words, Smoker's scowl deepened.

"I don't need your assistance," he spat before activating his devil fruit powers and drawing in onto the Straw-hat boy. Seeing that he was about to escape from the corner of a building, Karl unleashed short bursts of energy with her sword and cut through the air, slicing the building in half.

The raven-haired boy yelped and dashed off in another direction while Smoker yelled at her for doing unneeded things. Ignoring his comment, she secured her grip on her sword before running after the two.

Cutting through the path where the Straw-hat youth had run off to, Karl sped down the dusty streets towards the crossway. She was a few seconds too late as the boy who seemed to be made out of rubber sprinted past her and down another street with Smoker at his tails.

This wouldn't do… She would lose them sooner or later with the awkward way the streets were arranged in this town. The tall walls disabled her from gaining a clear view of the paths to take.

Eying the layout of the buildings around her, she scouted the area for elevated structures. With a whirl of wind in her steps, Karl leapt onto the top of a building and used height as leverage to pinpoint the two devil fruit users who were skiting all over the place.

There. A flash of red and white caught her eyes as the chase had advanced further towards the centre of Rain Base.

With the obstruction of turning streets and narrow paths out of the way, she pushed her speed to the limit and raced atop of houses, leaping from building to building. Somewhere along the line, the numbers had multiplied. Instead of the one boy whom Smoker had been chasing earlier, now there were four.

She was too far away to gain a clear view of the other three's faces, but from their body language towards the straw-hat boy, they were most likely comrades.

As she drew closer to the five of them, the pirates seemed to have made up their minds on where they would run off to. Compared to their previous random movements, darting down one street to the next, they now were moving collectively towards one specific building. The Rain Dinners.

From what she remembered reading from her report, the place was owned by none other than the Shichibukai, Crocodile, himself. Why were they going there? They couldn't possibly have gotten a sudden urge to gamble their money or buy some hearty meals while being chased by a marine right? Were they working for Crocodile? Seeking refuge?

All these questioned swirled in her head as she jumped down from the rooftop and landed next to the casino. She supposed she should apprehend the pirates before they made their way into the casino where a Shichibukai could be waiting inside.

As the group approached she launched several attacks with her sword. She was surprised at their sharp intuition towards danger as they all darted out of the way of the attack by a margin. She briefly wondered why Smoker chose to avoid the attack as well when he could've transformed into smoke, and let the attack pass through him, successfully scaring the shit out of the pirates…

A ring of curses was thrown at her as they neared. She was about to launch another attack when the sight of a certain flash of white froze her in her tracks.

Resting against the side of a green-haired swordsman was a katana with a traditional, stunning pure-white samegawa wrapped around a grey tsuka hilt.

Beads of sweat formed around her forehead as once again she felt that pang of daunting familiarity which she hadn't experienced in years befall her senses. The last time she remembered was when she was plagued with nightmares about a ceremonious bestowal of a sword as a kid. The nightmares had quelled as she aged, but the ominous feeling stayed with her all these years.

This feeling which had been brought forth again drove her to near insanity. It was as if she recognised the _presence_ of the sword. This was coming from someone who switched katanas so often that all her past swords blurred in her memories with time. Besides swords did not possess a presence. The wielder recognised their swords through its touch, its glint, or its sound when unsheathed – not from some vague concept such as a presence.

Still warped in her thoughts, she barely registered the group she had been chasing as they breezed past her side into the casino.

It's probably the soil here, she concluded. These uncanny feelings and thoughts had started to arise again ever since she landed on Alabasta. Maybe the frequency here generated some phenomenal chemicals which tricked her mind.

Shaking her head, accepting the rather forced explanation, Karl carried on with her earlier mission.

Right, the white katana. No! Forget the sword, she was supposed to catch the fleeing pirates in Smoker's stead. Though… Eyeing the trail of smoke and debris scattered along the path the group had come from, she wondered if Smoker realised how much damage he had indirectly caused the town in his rummage with the pirates.

He probably didn't care, much less realise the destruction in his track. The broken entrance door of the casino, as well as the outraged voices echoing from within the facility, further proved her speculations. Well since the pirates were already trapped inside with Smoker close in their trail… She guessed that she would repay her debts in a different manner.

And with that decision, she approached the curious crowds, who were overlooking the casino and wondering which nutcase barged into a Shichibukai's terrace, and explained in Smoker's stead.

When they informed her that government officials weren't allowed inside, it raised some alarm bells in her head. But, seeing how the situation could not be helped otherwise, she proceeded to tell the guards and other onlookers that there was no need for concern. Captain Smoker was merely passing through the terrace to capture some lawless pirates.

It took some time but ultimately they accepted her explanation, though halfway through she had switched to intimidation by releasing some authoritative aura and half withdrawing her sheathed sword. If her explanation didn't convince them to back off, the gleam in her sword and unspoken promise of bloodshed sure did.

Seeing how fear worked rather well in her favour, she noted it down and thought of ways in which she could elicit fear in Lex – surely it would lessen if not put an end to his tireless remarks...

Handing them the Den Den Mushi number of the team in charge of finances, she asked them to bill the repair work to the marine base in Alabasta.

Hopefully cleaning up after his mess was a satisfactory way of repaying the favour. It was the greatest dishonour for a swordsman to leave debts unpaid – or so she had learnt at the age of 10 from the man who's now named the greatest.

"Mmph… Let me go!", an exasperated voice muffled. The cry was a good hundred or two away from the busy entrance of the casino. It would have undoubtedly escaped the ears of all else who were present but it was just audible enough for her due to the long hours of training she had spent on honing her senses.

Closing her eyes and concentrating on the source of that cry, she focused on the shuffles of footsteps, rushed except for one set which suggested recalcitrant defiance. It was located on the other side of the casino, and from the squeak of the door hinges, she assumed that they had entered the building.

Sighing inwardly, she made an educated guess – a kidnapping. She tried to recall if Alabasta was on the abnormally long list of islands infamous for human tracking, but unfortunately, it didn't ring a bell.

Normally, kidnapping would've been out of her jurisdiction but… She supposed turning a blind eye to things like this was also on the dishonour list for a swordsman. And thus, after muttering a rushed apology to the affected individuals in Smoker's stead, she disappeared around the corner.

It didn't take long until she found the doorway in which she heard the footsteps disappear off to. It was an unused entrance, a backdoor, she supposed, which led into the casino. Eying the rusty knob and a clear sign which had the words 'DO NOT ENTER' printed in bold, Karl opened the door slightly before walking in.

There was a long flight of stairs which permeated from the entrance down to unknown darkness beneath the building. Shifting the weight in her steps, she made sure to tread down in silence and adjusted her eyes to the murky surroundings.

It took a good ten minutes before she reached the end of the staircase. In front of her stood another door. This one was well maintained and more elaborate than the door she passed through prior. Leaning against the cool surface, she could vaguely hear voices emerging from the other side.

The silver lock which had secured the entrance prior had been removed and brushed to the side. It appeared that the earlier group had not been expecting any visitors to arrive after them. Well too bad for them, she was here to ruin their plans.

And thus without further hesitance, she kicked open the door with the blunt heel of her leather boots. The doors slammed to the side and light entered her vision, replacing the silent darkness.

What greeted her was a combination of all her conflicting problems. A blue-haired girl was currently restrained by a composed woman. Princess Vivi; who had vanished two years ago, and Nico Robin; who has a bounty of 79 million, respectively. Beside them was a man who sat leaned back in his plush seat. He was none other than the Shichibukai Crocodile himself.

To their right was a tank which hosted an array of ravenous alligators. To the left was a cage, holding the very group who had rushed into the casino earlier. The runaway pirates and Smoker. But the one thing which caught her attention the most was once again that pearl white katana which rested in the hands of a certain swordsman.

The absurdity of the situation combined with her uncanny attraction to an otherwise inconspicuous piece of metal created a spontaneous mind blank. So she stood, still as a statue, eyes unblinking, as everything seemingly froze.

In fact, things did freeze, albeit for a mere few seconds before Crocodile snapped out of it and demanded Miss All Sunday to capture the intruder. Only when her wrists met the cold clasp of cuffs and her body thrown into the cage along with the rest did she register her predicament.

Trapped. In a cell. With a temperamental marine captain, a goofy looking pirate wearing a straw hat, a wimpy kid who at least tried to look tough in face of conceivable danger, a frowning girl who looked at her as if she had lost her mind, a sleeping swordsman who carried three katanas and wore a Haramaki on his head, and lastly the white katana which indirectly caused this current situation. Great. There's so much potential in this arrangement.

First thing's first though. She stalked up to the snoring swordsman and reached for the sword which had plagued her mind with questions.

"What are you doing?" A rough hand grabbed her arm, halting her movement. The glow which had previously shrouded the katana dulled before extinguishing into thin air. The spell had been broken. What she was so close to uncovering had, once again, slipped through her fingers by a mere inch.


	10. Reunion: Unravelled Mask

Chapter 9

The atmosphere in the cell was thick with tension as two opposing swordsmen glared each other down.

"Let me have a look at the sword." She was meant to say it in a more amicable tone but as usual, her voice came out stoic and authoritative.

"You can see it as it is." His reply was curt, his stance unwavering. Albeit his eyes narrowed slightly watching for any signs of hostility in her actions.

Something about the other swordsman felt off to Zoro. Especially the way they talked – it felt oddly familiar even though he was fairly certain he had never faced the red-haired youth before today. His memory rarely failed him, well it hardly failed him when it came to other intimidating swordsmen.

Strength was not something that needed to be put into words, the faintest movement, the smallest of breath was indicative of one's abilities. Well, that was for the majority, Luffy was an outlier for just about everything.

But for the majority of the opponents he had faced in the past, he could assess their abilities with a close look. The person who stood in front of him was not someone to be taken lightly – that was what his sense, honed over the years, told him. Gripping tighter onto his prized sword, he met the other swordsman's gaze sternly.

While the two had a mutual staring contest, the rest of the occupants of the cell tended to their matters. Smoker lit another two cigars and kept a close eye on Crocodile as well as his fellow detainees. While the straw-hat boy – Luffy and one of his crewmates, a long-nosed lad, called out to Crocodile, seeming to challenge the Shichibukai to a fight, one more keen about it than the other.

Finally, the maple-haired girl could not take the ridiculous tension between the two swordsmen anymore and stepped in.

"Just let him take a closer look at it Zoro! We're all stuck here with nothing better to do anyway!" Nami snatched the white katana away from his grasp and passed it to the stiff Marine Captain who muttered a word of thanks that was barely audible.

"You witch! What do you think you're doing?! Stop meddling in others' business!" Nami's intrusion took Zoro off guard, and before he knew it his valued sword was in the hands of someone who he did not know was an ally or a foe.

"What did you say?! When we get out here, I'm doubling… No! TRIPLING your debt!"

As the two straw-hats argued it out, Karl took the chance to closely examine the weapon in her hands. Unsheathing it, she studied the ripples splayed on the smooth surface of the katana, which were created as the polished blade met the light in the room.

Contrary to what she had initially believed, the sword did not ignite a new spark in her, nor did it appear familiar in any sense. It was as if her earlier trance had nothing to do with the sword. Had she truly lost her sanity? No, she was certain the sword was special in a sense, but the spell had been broken and now she could not pinpoint where exactly it stood out to her.

It was, by all means, a great katana, perhaps maybe even a Meitou but since she never chose her weapons based on its rank, its name escaped her. But there's nothing else about it which would set it apart from her past swords. It was another katana which would undoubtedly go into the reliquary with all her other past weapons, valued in its timespan, locked away forever.

She was going to return the sword to its rightful owner when a rubbery limb wrapped around her arm. She watched with morbid fascination as the new and rising pirate captain Luffy latched onto her and asked,

"Heyy what are you doing with Zoro's sword?" He appeared genuinely curious without any malicious intent, but she could never tell with pirates. So wordlessly, she chucked him his Nakama's katana and walked to a corner of the cage.

"Hmm. So who are you and how'd ya end up here" The boy hummed and followed her to what was initially an empty corner. He tucked Zoro's Wado Ichimonji under his arms and looked at the Marine Captain in disguise curiously.

"I…" She couldn't possibly tell him she was also a captured marine, could she? Besides, Smoker was also here, and she wasn't exactly honest about her identity with Smoker.

"Newly appointed Marine Captain, supposedly stationed in Alabasta – Karl. Well known for his mastery with the way of the sword as well as his tendency to replace swords at every chance possible." A gruff voice cut in and Karl stiffened. Did Smoker know? How did he realise? Before she could wrap her head around it, Smoker continued,

"Lex – second in command to Karl, a master of disguise and best known for flawless infiltrations." How did he know about Lex? She didn't like where this was going… She was about to interject by saying that he was mistaken but his words like ice froze her in her tracks.

"Did you think I would let someone who was clearly suspicious onto my ship that easily. Only Tashigi would believe in your lies. I had looked over both your profiles after our first encounter. I knew exactly who you were the moment you stepped foot onto my ship."

"So, why are you bringing it up now?" Keeping her voice levelled, Karl asked a little puzzled.

"You told me that you were investigating Baroque Works. I was curious about what a new marine captain would want with a criminal syndicate so I let you onboard. In the meantime, I dug around for some intel, that's when it all clicked. Mister One, and Mister Two, both number agents of the crime syndicate you proclaimed to be investigating. Do you know of them?" He replied with a question of his own.

"No…" She felt… Inadequate. She had planned to do all the investigation on the crime organisation once she reached Rain Base. Seeing Smoker's approach, she realised she should have been more serious with her role as an officer. No matter how mind-numbing the task – it was her duty.

Casting her one last glance, Smoker turned around and looked at Crocodile in the eye before continuing again.

"Mister one – a skilled assassin who holds an undefeated score against all swordsmen he had fought against in the past. He is unconcerned with the swordsmen's code of conduct, often would strike down defenceless opponents. Mister two – another number agent who specialises in disguise and infiltration." Thinking back to all those times Smoker disappeared off during the journey, Karl realised that he might've done more work than what she gave him credit for initially.

But never mind that, did he just insult her swordsmanship indirectly? She could see where this confrontation was heading… And she was speechless. He was comparing her to this Mister 1 person from Baroque Works, which meant he was saying that she was similar to someone who held a complete disregard for the swordsmen's code of conduct.

Sure she might not be the most conventional, her gender itself disallowed it, but she took pride in her honour as a swordsman. That was the whole reason why she was currently in the same cell as the rest of them.

"Crocodile just what are you trying to pull this time." Before she could object to his claims, Smoker stalked to the bars and demanded.

His words rang in her head as the previously disparate events seemed to have finally clicked together in her mind. A country which fell into anarchy and civil wars for the past decade or so. Crocodile – a pirate who docked at Alabasta and was greeted as the hero here. Vivi – the princess of the desert nation who went missing after the emergence of Baroque Works, currently captured by Crocodile. The previous marine charge of Alabasta that went missing a couple of weeks ago. All these loose threads weaved together in her mind.

Crocodile was behind Baroque Works, and had a hand in the chaos of Alabasta – the princess also knew of this somehow. A few things had cleared up, though more questions arose. Why was Crocodile so keen on this country particularly? How did Nico Robin play in all this? Why did the warlord capture the straw-hats and Smoker? And why was the uprising pirate, Luffy, so keen to fight the Shichibukai?

Of course, no one here was going to answer her unvoiced questions so she looked between Crocodile and his captives and tried to think of the connection. Before she could humour herself with something plausible, a grating voice screeched, interrupting her thoughts.

"Ahhh I knew it! He appeared suspicious the moment I placed my eyes on him! He's trying to stir us up and make us fight between ourselves. Look at what he's done to Nami and Zoro!" The long-nosed lad tattled on while gesturing to the swordsman and the short-haired girl who were still arguing it out.

"Ehhh? Really?" Luffy yelled out surprised, it would have appeared comical to Karl if all the attention wasn't focused on her.

"… Fufu. So you've realised. Well, there's not much point in keeping you all together now. Miss All Sunday." Crocodile soon grasped the situation and internally scoffed at the stupidity of his captives. But the coincidental nature of the situation saved him from what could potentially turn out to be a fatal mistake. Two marine captains both defeated by the straw hat pirate at once seemed a little far-fetched. Even the nut-heads in the headquarters would have a hard time believing his words. He can't have them both dead on his grounds…

Narrowing his eyes at her, he gestured for Robin to separate Karl from the rest of his prisoners. Releasing a trail of sand which seeped behind the bars, he created a hardened sand barrier between Karl and the rest of the group.

"Damnit Crocodile. You manipulative bastard!" Luffy shouted while slamming his fists into the sand wall. His efforts were futile as Crocodile generated new sand replacing each crack Luffy created.

"Seis Fleur Restrain", a pair of limbs sprouted from her sides and immobilised her arms. Devil fruits, one after another… All peculiar and the users were all adept with their powers. However… She could escape this hold when the timing was right. Right now, she was stuck with a bunch of people who undoubtedly would come for her head for one reason or another if she was to flee.

The gates shut behind her as she walked out silently and stood still next to Robin. Well, she couldn't help it, Robin's nails were sharpened and pointed at her carotid artery. One did not need a knife to sever the carotid artery, fingernails were sufficient. One wrong word and she would die from a stroke she supposed.

Smoker narrowed his eyes at this turn of events. If it wasn't more obvious, she was not their accomplice. Nico Robin was restraining her. She even said the damn word in her attack. But Smoker chose to not voice out his suspicions this time. He wasn't so vocal after all?

"Miss All Sunday, take him outside." Crocodile pointed towards the open door in which she had barged in from earlier. As they headed up the staircase, she could make out the faint ringing of a Den Den Mushi which broke the tense atmosphere.

"Purupurupuru. Kacha."

"Yes," Crocodile picked up the snail and was greeted with a familiar voice.

"This is the shitty restaurant. Mister Prince speaking…"

Those were the last words she heard before the doors shut once again. She didn't bother straining her hearing and wasting her energy on eavesdropping. There wasn't much she could do at the moment. But once they're outside she would run for it and report this turn of events.

To think only a couple of weeks ago she had thought she was close to completing her style and finally becoming a true swordsman. Yet now... She was captured and making no progress with what she had set sail for. Walking up the spiral staircase, she wondered when exactly did everything start to go south.

Was it when she impulsively boarded Smoker's ship in search for a short cut to solve her problem? Or was it when she first arrived in Alabasta? No, maybe it was even earlier. When she had sought out Mihawk, asking for a duel that was as good as lost. Perhaps things had gone south the moment she realised that no matter how much she trained herself, she could not break the barrier that bounded her from perfecting her style.

The first specks of sunlight dotted her vision before she was fully cast in light. Brushing the bitter thoughts out of her mind, she waited until Nico Robin closed the rusty door behind them. The wanted woman didn't seem particularly serious in restraining her. Unless she truly believed that a pair of limbs was all that's required to subdue her…

With a flex of her arms, she sprung out of Robin's grasp. Unlike the gory mess that she had pictured in her mind, the limbs which restrained her did not burst into flesh and blood, but instead, they transformed into petals before vanishing into thin air. How… elegant.

She didn't entertain the thought any longer, and without waiting to see Robin's response, she darted down the streets and blended into the crowds around her. If she had looked behind, she might've caught the amused glint in Robin's eyes which were hidden under the shadows of her hat. But she was not one to look back, and so she marched on, eyes fixated on the road ahead of her.

* * *

**AN**:

_I'm so done with myself… I literally wrote the entire chapter a week ago and then my word docs crashed and for some mysterious reason it didn't save… This is a rewrite of the chapter, I might've changed a few things (I write spontaneously and so the previous version is lost forever…), but I hoped you all enjoyed this new version! _


	11. Reunion: Duty and Honour

Walking away from the bustling streets, Karl scanned her surroundings to ensure that no one was tailing her before swiftly pulling out her baby Den Den Mushi. First thing's first, she needed to contact Lex and brief the Headquarters on the situation. A Shichibukai was bending the law as he saw fit. If they overlooked even this, then the justice emblem sewn onto the marine cloak was nothing that it stood for. She wasn't wearing hers at the moment; as she was supposed to be under disguise; but even so, she could feel the fabric weigh down on her shoulders in her mind.

The sound of a palm-sized snail blubbering drily echoed in the empty stretch of road. It continued until the 7th ring.

"Purupuru… Kacha." Something was off – it wasn't like Lex to answer a call at the very last second. He either picked it up before the 3rd ring or he wouldn't pick it up at all.

"…"

"Hello." She greeted in a nasal voice two pitches higher than her usual one. She wasn't sure who it was on the other side but it definitely wasn't Lex. He would've spoken up before she had the chance to utter a word.

"Hello, this is petty officer Kenny speaking." An unfamiliar voice and name greeted her.

"I have a report for Captain Karl, is he available?"

"Oh, he's been summoned to deal with the rebellion uproar at Alubarna. Wait who is this again?" Taking a deep breath she reminded herself to not lash out at the young marine. She needed to train this Kenny person when she returns. Just what kind of crew did she gather when she was promoted to be a captain? He just exposed what Lex; who was disguised as her; was up to. If the call was of malicious intent, that piece of intel could've been fatal. How did he even get promoted to be a petty officer?

"I'm… Lieutenant Lex. Transfer me to the Headquarters, I have an important report to make." For a second she was worried that her cover was going to be blown but the officer's naivety saved her and she was promptly transferred to the Headquarters' line.

While she waited for the call to be picked up, she tried to mimic Lex's voice. His intonation, unlike hers, varied a lot. If her voice was a level, well-paved road, then Lex's voice was a bumpy stone path. It jumped all over the place yet still managed to maintain a pleasant overall tone.

"Kacha." The call passed through and she was hardly ready to answer.

"Ahem. Hello... This is… Lieutenant Lex speaking. I have a report… surrounding the current warlord Crocodile." She was quite sure that she wouldn't be speaking with anyone she knew personally, but just in case if the person on the other side recognised her voice, she attempted to throw them off by incorporating constant coughing in her speech.

"Lex? Psh, no way. Karlie, who do you think you're fooling with that ridiculous voice hn?" A low hum of doom crushed all her hopes and confirmed her suspicions. She now knew for sure that the goddess of luck had forsaken her. Why was it that even though she finally aborted Aokiji's ship, he would come to haunt her like this. She didn't dislike him in particular, but his timing was always impeccable. In the destructive sense. She recalled those instances in the past when he would give her orders at the last second and ruin all her training plans beforehand.

"I hate your voice Aokiji." In her moment of despair and trauma, Karl accidentally spilt out a fragment of her true thoughts.

"Well, yours also sounds dreadful. It's only been a few weeks, what happened to you? The ladies are gonna cry after they find out that their beloved swordsman has a toad's voice."

"Well no lady has ever cried over you, and since I was mimicking Lex – I won't take offence to that." Years of dealing with Aokiji's nonsense has taught her to return insult with insult. The marine admiral enjoyed berating his subordinates and wouldn't stop until it backfired on him.

"Ouch, I'm hurt. You're as spiteful as ever Karlie." She was not going to comment on that. This was going nowhere and she had an important report to make.

"What are you even doing, picking up calls at the Headquarters? Anyways enough of that, I have an important report to make on the Warlord Crocodile."

"Well, Sengoku decided it's a new form of punishment," Aokiji answered lazily. Her previous charge had it coming. It was only a matter of time until Sengoku was done with his tardiness.

"But yea, what's wrong with Crocodile?"

"He's violated the Shichibukai regulation by harming government officials and is plotting something in Alabasta. He has captured Princess Vivi and Captain Smoker – I'm unsure what he wants to do with them. Also, this is just my hypothesis but I believe that he's behind the years of civil war in Alabasta and the rebellion at Alubarna right now."

"Wait that Smoker was captured?" Out of her entire report, that was the part he found most surprising? Typical Aokiji.

"Yes, Smoker was captured and is currently detained in a cell" She explained, feeling her patience slip with each word.

"Seriously? Damn, he got Smoker good." Karl reminded herself not to curse at the admiral. The calls were always monitored and it wouldn't do her any favours if she gets accused of insubordination.

"Yes, so what are the orders?" She willed herself to keep calm – she was used to dealing with Aokiji's attitude, this was no different.

"Hmm. I don't know. I don't think Sengoku is particularly keen on dealing with one of his precious pirate generals right now. He hates the Shichibukai system but it's crucial. Also, I'm sure Smoker can handle himself and make something of the situation. You don't need to be concerned." That was the last straw.

"What do you suggest…" Before she could finish her sentence, the line was cut off. She knew that signals were pretty bad on the Grandline but to think that today was the day that she experienced it herself… Staring at her innocent-looking baby Den Den Mushi, Karl stood stoically in place for a few minutes before she took a deep breath and shoved the snail into her pockets. A little too roughly than what was probably good for the snail. Meanwhile, Aokiji shrugged at the quiet receiver, before continuing with his earlier task – slacking off.

Well, she had followed protocols and reported the situation back to Headquarters. Worse comes to worst she could just put all the blame on Aokiji since he was the one who said she didn't need to be concerned…

She abandoned the thought as soon as it came over her. Chanting the words; responsibility, honour, justice; in her mind, she controlled her breathing and stormed through the possible solutions for the current situation. Her fellow marine official's detainment deserved immediate attention. Aokiji might have blind faith in Smoker but she was not ready to stake his life on something she has yet witnessed. All Smoker has achieved so far was slander her name. Sure on the way to Rainbase, Smoker's proved to be quite competent in capturing stray pirates. But currently, he was stuck in a sea-prison stone cell with a bunch of pirates for god's sake.

She could either head back to the casino and try to bail out Smoker, or she could contact Tashigi and the rest of Smoker's crew and inform them of Smoker's predicament. If she was any less of an honourable swordsman, she would've considered letting him rot and die in Crocodile's hands, but she refused to scoop so low. Unlike the persona Smoker mistook her for, she lived and breathed the code of honour.

However, Karl was in no sense a saint and since Smoker decided to put dirt on her name she wasn't about to earnestly go back and save him. So opting for the second option, Karl rang up Tashigi and Co. Her snail was behaving a little out of sync, switching tones and pitches during the call – perhaps the result of her earlier rough treatment. After explaining what had happened; vaguely; leaving out her blunder and Smoker's ridiculous accusation, Karl hung up and this time carefully tugged the snail inside her pocket. She couldn't have it die on her in the middle of a mission.

Now that the situation at hand was out of the way… She had to respond to her duties as the Captain of the marine base. It's near impossible for her to make it back to Alubarna and make any noteworthy contributions now. She already exhausted her means of transport on the way here – and look where it led her! Right into this tangled mess.

A civil war on the verge of breaking out into full-fledged bloodshed. What were the odds? For all this to happen right after she assumed her post. And on top of that, she wasn't even at the base when everything went south. Even she would have a difficult time explaining all the coincidences to the Headquarters. She didn't need Smoker to get ahead of himself and be deluded into thinking that his assumption was correct. That was unacceptable.

Steel eyes narrowed at the dusty road ahead of her. Pulling her cap down so it covered her eyes, she turned heels and retraced her steps. She wasn't sure if she was capable enough to take down a Shichibukai by herself. Maybe with Smoker's help… Dousing the thought as soon as it came, she chided herself for even thinking about something so ridiculous. The man thought her to be a spy for god's sake! She was on her own until she could disprove the allegations.

Although she couldn't defeat Crocodile in a one on one fight in her current state, there were plenty of other things she could do in replacement. Foiling his plans would be one of those things. She needed to find the evidence for his crimes and expose them to light. She was 99% certain that he was the cause behind the decade long civil war, as well as the stimulus to the current chaos at Alubarna.

How did he do it was the question. She needed to find out the answer to that, along with anything else that the warlord was planning to ensue. She had an inkling that this was only the beginning – the Shichibukai could have planted an even more sinister plot that has yet to be executed. Time was running out – she had to move fast before all were lost. Time and time again, life had taught her that once something was gone, it would never return.


	12. Reunion: Heroic Pirates

Surrounded by scorching sands which stretched towards the befalling sunset. Slouched against a ruinous barricade – remnants of a former wall. With bated breath, Karl scanned over the open wounds across her legs. Nothing's broken, but a few muscles were torn for sure. Well, not torn but pierced would be a more befitting term... If not for Miss All Sunday's antidote, Crocodile's poison-laced hook would've killed her before she even made it this far. But the wound itself would undoubtedly take her out of commission for a month at least.

To think that just a few weeks ago she had believed that Paradise was full of unfledged weaklings. Mihawk was right – she really did overestimate her abilities. She had believed that although she's yet to be in the same league as the world's greatest – she was nearing the edge. But what she had failed to realise was that every step away from Mihawk's throne was indicative of every opponent she has yet to surpass. She was entranced by her far-away vision that she was blind to the challenges in front of her.

Just a few weeks ago – she wouldn't have even dreamt about receiving help from the likes of pirates. Deliberate or not. Now, she was begrudgingly thankful towards the same pirates who were previously encaged in the same cell as her. They accomplished what she had failed to do so herself. Exposing Crocodile's plans, reducing casualties, and dethroning the warlord. Unrestrained and free to follow their hearts, those pirates fought and shed blood for the sake of this country.

Yet what did the proclaimed law-keepers, the marines, do? They sat back and watched the city explode into flames, merely waiting for their next orders to be passed. It was disgraceful, unsightly, truly unbecoming of a supposed honourable bunch. She would admit, this time the marines were helpless against Crocodile's intricate plans.

A low chuckle escaped Karl's chapped lips, she hadn't felt this helpless in a long time. She would've brooded on the sentimental nostalgia but just reliving those memories made her curl with nausea. She wasn't strong enough. Not in the past, and not now.

When she had overheard Crocodile's true intensions – to put his hands on the ancient weapon Pluton, she did not have enough time to process what his plans entailed before another bomb was dropped on her. Well, not on her but the entire city.

She watched restlessly as the situation unfolded into the worst scenario. Standing on the dim sidelines, she looked on as the Straw-hats faced off against members of Baroque Works. If not for the intervention of those pirates and the nation's princess, the casualties would've been unimaginable. The trembling sniper and the shape-shifting reindeer overcame their fears and fought with injuries adorning their bodies. The blonde gentleman, defeating the imposturous devil fruit user with the power of his legs alone. The delicate young girl who fought well with her exquisite weapon. The unwavering princess who stood amid the crossfire and exposed Crocodile's plans. And at last, the determined swordsman who overcame his weakness, cutting through Mister One's steel body. She could see them, feel them, grow stronger throughout the fight, yet she remained the same, trapped in the past.

While they were diffusing the situation, she was preoccupied with calling the Headquarters. Looking back to it in retrospect, she felt ashamed for snatching the snail from the merchant. He could've put it to much better use than her…

Under such a desperate situation, all she could do was to request for reinforcements. This time the call was picked up by someone other than Aokiji. Were the results any different? No. Nothing had changed. She was ordered to stay put until the situation was relayed to the higher-ups and a decision was made. A bomb was ticking off with each second yet her orders were to stay put?

She didn't even have the chance to inform them of Pluton when the next orders were given. To capture the Strawhats. To ensure that their hand in countering Crocodile's force was to remain confidential.

Her brain could not fathom how the order was in any sense logical. A bomb was ticking off, threatening the life of an entire city's residents. A warlord was running loose, capturing the nation's princess and instigating a coup d'état. Yet the government found it more important to capture a group of pirates. Who, might she add, were acting more like law-keepers than the uniform wearing, justice preaching officers?

At that moment all the frustration, panic and disappointment, merged into an uncontrollable rage and she crushed the poor snail with her bare hands. Another innocent life added onto her incessant list of casualties during duty.

Seeing that it was no longer possible to rely on the Headquarters for help, she took the matter into her own hands. Taking out the mask, originally meant for disguise on duty, she instead used its barrier to separate herself from her marine obligations. She was glad she had not reverted to her marine outfit, otherwise, she would've ripped it apart and shredded the justice emblem with her sword.

Staking everything on ambiguous terms such as 'maybe', 'hopefully' was out of the question – her pride disallowed it. So with rage morphed confidence, she confronted Crocodile in a single fight. During which she exhausted her skills and reached an infuriating conclusion, consisting of endless questions.

She was useless against a logia user. Why though? Why was it that her goal was so out of range? Was it only possible to counter logia users with a logia power? That couldn't be it. Otherwise, how was Mihawk able to become the greatest without one? Sure, devil fruits played a key role in one's abilities but there was definitely something else along with it. And whatever it was, it slipped out of her reach before she could fully grasp it. She was missing an important element, and she had no idea what it could be.

Remembering back to Mihawk's words for her to obtain a decent sword, was it a weapon then? Did she need a weapon like Smoker's, fitted with sea-prison stone to fight all the way to the top? No, that wasn't it. Mihawk didn't reach that far with the help of his weapon alone. In fact, it was due to Mihawk's calibre that his sword was now as famed. Was it willpower then? She considered herself to be a disciplined swordswoman with unwavering resolve, but was that insufficient?

However, there were no mentors in life during crucial life or death situations to answer her questions one by one. And as Crocodile punctured her legs with his hook, she was left immobilised with a broken sword on the side, yet she refused to resign to her imminent defeat.

She didn't want to imagine what would've happened if it weren't for a certain straw-hat boy, who interjected before Crocodile could deal the final blow and Nico Robin who left her a vial without uttering a word.

The vial that Nico Robin left carried the antidote to Crocodile's poisonous hook. With a weak grasp, she had injected it into her bloodstream. She didn't question the authenticity of its content since even without an extra lethal dose, as long as she was left in situ, she would undoubtedly die as the poison consumed her. Nor would she question the woman's objective in saving her, only those in power had the right to question, and in her state – she did not have the privilege. However, she acknowledged debt when it was due.

"_You have my gratitude_," she breathed out, the wind relaying her soft message to the ears of the parting archaeologist. Tanned hands tilted her feathered hat briefly, though her steps continued without as much as a glance back.

How ironic, the situation reminded her strikingly of her chanced encounter with a certain red-haired pirate a while ago. Though how times have changed, now the roles were reversed. She was now the one whose life was dependent on an enemy's leniency. The thought of it brought a bitter smile to her dishevelled appearance.

In her moment of desperation, she accepted help from criminals and escaped the clutches of death. Was it dishonourable? It would be if those condemned criminals were exactly what they were portrayed to be. Corrupt, malevolent, plundering forces.

However, now she would learn that the word criminal itself was subject to perspective. The same criminals who were frowned upon by society became the very embodiment of heroism, saving an entire city, and desecrating Crocodile's sinister plans. They showed no real hostility towards her, a marine, even back when she was detained in the same cell as them. Cautious perhaps, but not hostile. Funny how the world government saw these criminals as a threat, though the same treatment was not returned.

Which was why now – as she watched whirls of sand span around wildly in the distance, she silently prayed for a certain rubber boy's victory.

Unclasping the mask over her face, she vowed to get stronger… To be able to pursue her path without resistance from others. To face whatever challenges ahead without avoidance. To fight freely head-on, rather than hide behind a mask. She vowed to never experience the same ineptitude again…


End file.
